Lincoln County is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Lincoln County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lincoln County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lincoln County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lincoln County leans more Republican than 11 of 17 neighbors.
Lincoln County runs about 23 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lincoln County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+58), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Lincoln County, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the West Virginia average of 17%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Lincoln County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 9%, below 85% of counties).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Lincoln County, WV sits in the bottom tenth 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 Lincoln County looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 82% of adults in Lincoln County have completed high school, about 8 points below the U.S. average of 90%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Lincoln County report food insecurity, above 81% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Boone County, WV R+62
- Putnam County, WV R+46
- Cabell County, WV R+19
- Wayne County, WV R+55
- Logan County, WV R+66
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
- Lawrence County, OH R+50
- Lawrence County, KY R+67
- Mingo County, WV R+71
- Martin County, KY R+74
Counties with Similar Populations
- Woodward County, OK R+63
- Greene County, NC R+15
- Uinta County, WY R+62
- Jay County, IN R+58
- Fulton County, IN R+51
- Henry County, IA R+31
- Breckinridge County, KY R+58
- Carbon County, UT R+56
- Greene County, VA R+26
- Colorado County, TX R+42
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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.