Mears leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Mears typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mears, ~18% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mears compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mears leans more Republican than 62 of 70 neighbors.
Mears runs about 45 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Mears is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Mears 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 Mears, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Mears live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Virginia average of 26%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Mears sits in the bottom quarter (about 8%, below 96% of cities). Mears runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Mears, VA sits below the national average 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 Mears looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Mears is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 23% of adults in Mears report food insecurity, above 87% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 79% of adults in Mears have completed high school, below 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hallwood, VA R+10
- Bloxom, VA R+16
- Mappsville, VA D+14
- Nelsonia, VA D+6
- Temperanceville, VA R+26
- Gargatha, VA D+2
- Sanford, VA R+59
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sparksville, IN R+67
- Lunsford, AR R+68
- Yellow House, PA R+27
- Vigil, CO R+30
- Orkney Springs, VA R+33
- Henlopen Acres, DE D+22
- Paw Paw, OK R+61
- Bryan, PA R+62
- Manzano, NM R+32
- Maple Grove, MI R+21
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department of 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.