McAlester leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 54% of adults in McAlester typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McAlester, ~15% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How McAlester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, McAlester is the least Republican-leaning.
McAlester runs about 5 points more Democratic than Oklahoma as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within McAlester. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+55) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+33), a spread of about 22 points.
Why McAlester 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 McAlester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
McAlester votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 63%, far above the Oklahoma average of 18%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as McAlester, OK does.
Why turnout in McAlester looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. McAlester is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 50%, about 5 points below the Oklahoma average of 55%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 40% of households in McAlester rent, compared to around 21% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 23% of adults in McAlester report food insecurity, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- North McAlester, OK R+45
- Krebs, OK R+55
- Alderson, OK R+63
- Richville, OK R+70
- Savanna, OK R+65
- Bache, OK R+65
- Dow, OK R+65
- Haywood, OK R+69
- Arpelar, OK R+70
- Scipio, OK R+70
Cities with Similar Populations
- Frankfort, IN R+39
- Jasmine Estates, FL R+21
- Elkridge, MD D+45
- Toccoa, GA R+51
- Rotterdam, NY R+2
- Greenwood, MS D+51
- Hanover, MD D+38
- Sun Valley, NV R+4
- Gatesville, TX R+43
- Spring Lake, NC D+14
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Oklahoma State Election Board, 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.