Gilmer County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Gilmer County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gilmer County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gilmer County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Gilmer County leans more Republican than 16 of 22 neighbors.
Gilmer County runs about 57 points more Republican than Georgia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Gilmer County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Gilmer County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Gilmer County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 72% of households in Gilmer County are family households, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Gilmer County, GA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Gilmer County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 81% of households in Gilmer County own their home, about 7 points above the Georgia average of 73%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Gilmer County sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pickens County, GA R+59
- Fannin County, GA R+62
- Murray County, GA R+68
- Gordon County, GA R+60
- Whitfield County, GA R+38
- Dawson County, GA R+61
- Lumpkin County, GA R+46
- Union County, GA R+58
- Polk County, TN R+72
- Cherokee County, GA R+33
Counties with Similar Populations
- Amherst County, VA R+33
- Huron County, MI R+42
- Coos County, NH R+24
- Titus County, TX R+40
- Montgomery County, KS R+44
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Delta County, CO R+35
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Polk County, MO R+61
- Pontotoc County, MS R+65
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Georgia Elections Division, 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.