Medicine Lodge is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Medicine Lodge typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Medicine Lodge, ~12% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Medicine Lodge compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Medicine Lodge is the least Republican-leaning.
Medicine Lodge runs about 47 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Medicine Lodge. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+75) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+62), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Medicine Lodge 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 Medicine Lodge, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Medicine Lodge drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Medicine Lodge, KS sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Medicine Lodge looks the way it does
Turnout in Medicine Lodge sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sharon, KS R+77
- Isabel, KS R+77
- Lake City, KS R+78
- Nashville, KS R+71
- Sawyer, KS R+71
- Hardtner, KS R+74
- Hazelton, KS R+73
- Zenda, KS R+71
- Kiowa, KS R+73
- St. Leo, KS R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fostoria, MI R+48
- Beachs Corner, ID R+66
- Powhatan Point, OH R+57
- Briarcliff, TX R+17
- Augusta, KY R+51
- Huntington, MA R+13
- Black Eagle, MT R+35
- Fancy Gap, VA R+61
- Osburn, ID R+40
- South Sumter, SC D+74
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.