Holmes County is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Holmes County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Holmes County, ~49% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Holmes County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Holmes County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Holmes County runs about 83 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Holmes County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Holmes County. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+3), a spread of about 68 points.
Why Holmes 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 Holmes County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Holmes County votes against the grain of Mississippi. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Holmes County runs about 83 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Holmes County have never been married, above 98% of counties.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Holmes County, MS sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Holmes County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Holmes County 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 6%, about 54 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 41% of households in Holmes County rent, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 42% of adults in Holmes County report food insecurity, in the top fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Attala County, MS R+13
- Carroll County, MS R+40
- Yazoo County, MS D+17
- Humphreys County, MS D+43
- Leflore County, MS D+53
- Montgomery County, MS R+2
- Leake County, MS R+12
- Madison County, MS R+5
- Sunflower County, MS D+35
- Grenada County, MS R+15
Counties with Similar Populations
- Falls County, TX R+25
- Lewis County, WV R+57
- Clayton County, IA R+39
- Garrard County, KY R+59
- Morgan County, WV R+56
- Scurry County, TX R+66
- Dallas County, MO R+66
- Gunnison County, CO D+31
- Franklin County, AR R+64
- Cooper County, MO R+46
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.