Nelson is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Nelson typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nelson, ~13% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nelson compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Nelson leans more Republican than 36 of 106 neighbors.
Nelson runs about 30 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Nelson 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 Nelson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 5% of adults in Nelson hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Kentucky average of 19%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 91% of residents in Nelson drive to work alone, above 95% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Nelson, KY sits in the bottom tenth 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 Nelson looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Nelson 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 45%, about 9 points below the Kentucky average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wells, KY R+43
- Rockport, KY R+64
- Central City, KY R+45
- South Carrollton, KY R+61
- Moorman, KY R+62
- Echols, KY R+65
- Cleaton, KY R+61
- Centertown, KY R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Indian Crossing, PA R+60
- Collirene, AL D+77
- Annemanie, AL R+20
- Indian Falls, NY R+40
- Cantwell, AK R+36
- Proctor, MT R+21
- Gould, OK R+73
- Quecreek, PA R+57
- Sherburne, KY R+62
- Genesee, WI R+36
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.