Hays is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Hays typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hays, ~42% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hays compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Hays is the most Democratic-leaning.
Hays runs about 70 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Hays is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Hays. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+57) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+66), a spread of about 123 points.
Why Hays 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 Hays, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Hays votes against the grain of Montana. Montana leans Republican overall, while Hays runs about 70 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 55% of adults in Hays have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Hays, MT sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Hays looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Hays 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 46%, about 16 points below the Montana average of 62%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 38% of households in Hays rent, above 93% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 36% of adults in Hays report food insecurity, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lodge Pole, MT D+49
- Zortman, MT R+59
- Landusky, MT R+41
- Savoy, MT D+14
- Dodson, MT R+60
- Harlem, MT D+20
- Warrick, MT R+37
- Winifred, MT R+74
Cities with Similar Populations
- Emerson, AR R+50
- Mount Olive, WV R+53
- Burfordville, MO R+68
- Hiram Rapids, OH R+29
- Volney, MI R+43
- Lake Arthur, NM R+66
- Ocobla, MS R+46
- Mayking, KY R+68
- White Heath, IL R+36
- Limehouse, SC D+18
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.