Kanawha County leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Kanawha County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kanawha County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kanawha County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kanawha County leans more Republican than 1 of 17 neighbors.
Kanawha County runs about 23 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Kanawha County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+4) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+50), a spread of about 54 points.
Why Kanawha 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 Kanawha County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Kanawha County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 50%, far above the West Virginia average of 12%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Kanawha County, WV sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Kanawha County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Kanawha County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 60%, about 8 points above the West Virginia average of 52%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Putnam County, WV R+46
- Boone County, WV R+62
- Lincoln County, WV R+65
- Roane County, WV R+60
- Clay County, WV R+63
- Jackson County, WV R+57
- Fayette County, WV R+46
- Cabell County, WV R+19
- Mason County, WV R+59
- Logan County, WV R+66
Counties with Similar Populations
- Washington County, UT R+51
- Vanderburgh County, IN R+9
- Johnson County, TX R+50
- Imperial County, CA Even
- Peoria County, IL D+14
- Kent County, DE D+5
- Ulster County, NY D+16
- Shasta County, CA R+30
- Medina County, OH R+25
- Shawnee County, KS D+4
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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.