Liberal leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Liberal typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Liberal, ~17% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Liberal compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Liberal is the least Republican-leaning.
Liberal runs about 9 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Liberal. The northeast side is the most split-leaning (R+40) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Liberal 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 Liberal, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Liberal votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 76%, far above the Kansas average of 19%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Liberal sits in the bottom quarter (about 10%, below 93% of cities).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Liberal, KS sits in the bottom 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 Liberal looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Liberal is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 26%, about 16 points above the Kansas average of 9%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 38% of households in Liberal rent, compared to around 17% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Liberal report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Turpin, OK R+77
- Tyrone, OK R+67
- Woods, KS R+80
- Kismet, KS R+76
- Mocane, OK R+83
- Forgan, OK R+84
- Hooker, OK R+59
- Adams, OK R+82
- Plains, KS R+64
- Hugoton, KS R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dripping Springs, TX R+18
- Lino Lakes, MN R+9
- Mill Creek, WA D+25
- Pendleton, OR R+29
- Syosset, NY Even
- North Myrtle Beach, SC R+30
- Beaufort, SC R+2
- Mount Vernon, IL R+30
- Alpine, CA R+30
- East Hemet, CA R+12
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.