Hayes County is a Republican stronghold. About 6% of voters here vote Democratic and 94% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Hayes County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hayes County, ~5% vote Democratic, ~69% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hayes County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Hayes County is the most Republican-leaning.
Hayes County runs about 67 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Why Hayes 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 Hayes County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Hayes County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 6 points above the Nebraska average of 88%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in Hayes County are family households, above 77% of counties.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Hayes County, NE sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Hayes County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 95% of adults in Hayes County have completed high school, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Hitchcock County, NE R+77
- Chase County, NE R+71
- Red Willow County, NE R+55
- Frontier County, NE R+74
- Perkins County, NE R+76
- Dundy County, NE R+67
- Lincoln County, NE R+46
- Rawlins County, KS R+73
- Keith County, NE R+60
- Decatur County, KS R+65
Counties with Similar Populations
- Mineral County, CO R+5
- Bristol Bay Borough, AK Even
- Roberts County, TX R+90
- Golden Valley County, MT R+69
- Jones County, SD R+72
- Clark County, ID R+65
- Hinsdale County, CO R+6
- Daggett County, UT R+59
- Wibaux County, MT R+75
- Wheeler County, NE R+72
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska Secretary of State, 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.