Galveston is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 51% of adults in Galveston typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Galveston, ~8% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Galveston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Galveston leans more Republican than 89 of 141 neighbors.
Galveston runs about 39 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Galveston leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Galveston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Galveston, more than 99% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Galveston, KY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Galveston looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Galveston is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 33%, about 21 points below the Kentucky average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 61% of adults in Galveston have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Grethel, KY R+68
- Beaver, KY R+64
- Teaberry, KY R+69
- Harold, KY R+62
- Robinson Creek, KY R+70
- McDowell, KY R+61
- Pikeville, KY R+49
- Coal Run Village, KY R+62
- Hi Hat, KY R+63
- Betsy Layne, KY R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Preston, NE R+60
- Adams, ND R+47
- Godsey, SC R+31
- Hero, FL R+50
- Obed, IL R+66
- Oak Forest, NC D+33
- Evening Shade, OK R+58
- Beverly, IL R+72
- Wakulla Beach, FL R+65
- Amenia, ND R+50
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.