High Plains is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 56% of adults in High Plains typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in High Plains, ~10% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How High Plains compares
Among cities within 25 miles, High Plains leans more Republican than 58 of 72 neighbors.
High Plains runs about 34 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why High Plains 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 High Plains, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in High Plains drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and High Plains sits in the bottom quarter (about 14%, below 83% of cities).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; High Plains, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in High Plains looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. High Plains 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 48%, about 6 points below the Kentucky average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Big Spring, KY R+63
- Custer, KY R+65
- Vertrees, KY R+66
- Constantine, KY R+67
- Howe Valley, KY R+66
- Woodrow, KY R+64
- Garfield, KY R+64
- Irvington, KY R+51
- Guston, KY R+58
- Clifton Mills, KY R+58
Cities with Similar Populations
- Vanzant, MO R+70
- Denison, KS R+52
- Red River, NM D+16
- Orient, IA R+50
- Mapleton, PA R+69
- Saltillo, TN R+73
- Harveysburg, OH R+64
- Ruma, IL R+57
- Saverton, MO R+63
- Richland, TX R+42
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.