Madison County is a Republican stronghold. About 25% of voters here vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Madison County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Madison County, ~18% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Madison County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Madison County leans more Republican than 4 of 13 neighbors.
Madison County runs about 30 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Madison County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+42), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Madison 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 Madison County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Madison County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 58%, far above the Nebraska average of 17%). 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; Madison County, NE 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 Madison County looks the way it does
Turnout in Madison County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Stanton County, NE R+64
- Pierce County, NE R+72
- Wayne County, NE R+44
- Antelope County, NE R+71
- Boone County, NE R+64
- Cuming County, NE R+63
- Platte County, NE R+48
- Colfax County, NE R+27
- Cedar County, NE R+67
- Dixon County, NE R+56
Counties with Similar Populations
- Uintah County, UT R+67
- Warren County, MO R+50
- Fannin County, TX R+58
- Wapello County, IA R+26
- Perry County, OH R+56
- Washington County, TX R+37
- Adams County, IN R+60
- Livingston County, IL R+38
- Lincoln County, TN R+64
- Sioux County, IA R+55
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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.