Mason County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Mason County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mason County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mason County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Mason County leans more Republican than 16 of 19 neighbors.
Mason County runs about 17 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Mason County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+48), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason County, about 95% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 86% of residents in Mason County drive to work alone, above 97% of counties.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a low never-married share and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Mason County, WV does.
Why turnout in Mason County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 81% of households in Mason County own their home, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Gallia County, OH R+57
- Meigs County, OH R+58
- Jackson County, WV R+57
- Putnam County, WV R+46
- Cabell County, WV R+19
- Jackson County, OH R+58
- Lawrence County, OH R+50
- Athens County, OH D+8
- Vinton County, OH R+58
- Kanawha County, WV R+19
Counties with Similar Populations
- Hardeman County, TN R+14
- Butts County, GA R+38
- Luna County, NM R+19
- Barton County, KS R+47
- Churchill County, NV R+44
- Gladwin County, MI R+42
- Payette County, ID R+57
- Pottawatomie County, KS R+46
- Salem City, VA R+21
- Benton County, IA R+36
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.