Ireland is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Ireland typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ireland, ~10% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ireland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ireland leans more Republican than 45 of 109 neighbors.
Ireland runs about 21 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Ireland 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 Ireland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Ireland live in densely developed areas, about 8 points below the West Virginia average of 12%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Ireland, WV sits in the bottom tenth 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 Ireland looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 20% of adults in Ireland report food insecurity, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hettie, WV R+57
- Duffy, WV R+66
- Crawford, WV R+63
- Wildcat, WV R+61
- Kanawha Head, WV R+68
- Napier, WV R+56
- Wilsontown, WV R+68
- Walkersville, WV R+62
- Rock Cave, WV R+68
Cities with Similar Populations
- Nettleridge, VA R+56
- Cleveland, AR R+63
- Gallatin, AR R+69
- Berrysburg, PA R+68
- Ellington, NY R+51
- Lower Genegantslet Corner, NY R+37
- Old Spring Hill, AL R+36
- High Water, OH R+54
- Mize, KY R+64
- Pin Hook, NC R+59
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.