Kearney County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 90% of adults in Kearney County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kearney County, ~18% vote Democratic, ~72% Republican, and ~10% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kearney County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kearney County leans more Republican than 4 of 9 neighbors.
Kearney County runs about 39 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Why Kearney 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 Kearney County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Kearney County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 91% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 72%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Kearney County, NE sits in the top quarter 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 Kearney County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 94% of adults in Kearney County have completed high school, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Buffalo County, NE R+36
- Phelps County, NE R+58
- Franklin County, NE R+69
- Adams County, NE R+42
- Harlan County, NE R+69
- Webster County, NE R+69
- Hall County, NE R+26
- Gosper County, NE R+72
- Sherman County, NE R+64
- Dawson County, NE R+35
Counties with Similar Populations
- Russell County, KS R+59
- La Salle County, TX R+13
- Childress County, TX R+57
- Hancock County, TN R+77
- Lac qui Parle County, MN R+38
- Galax City, VA R+38
- Burt County, NE R+55
- Pershing County, NV R+52
- Buena Vista City, VA R+35
- Refugio County, TX R+36
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.