Oread is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 25% of adults in Oread typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oread, ~21% vote Democratic, ~4% Republican, and ~75% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oread compares
Oread runs about 81 points more Democratic than Kansas as a whole. Kansas leans Republican overall, while Oread is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Oread. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+58), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Oread leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Oread, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Oread live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 89% of adults in Oread have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. Oread runs against the grain of Kansas, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Oread, Lawrence, KS sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Oread looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 88% of households in Oread rent, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 12% of homes in Oread have more than one occupant per room, above 94% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Sunset Hills, Lawrence, KS D+56
- East Topeka, Topeka, KS D+25
- South Southeast 3, Topeka, KS D+7
- Prairie-Piper-KC-KS, Kansas City, KS R+7
- South Southeast 1, Topeka, KS D+22
- Central Topeka 2, Topeka, KS D+22
- I-435 West KC-KS, Kansas City, KS Even
- West Southwest 3, Topeka, KS D+12
- Muncie-Stony PT., Kansas City, KS Even
- West Southwest 2, Topeka, KS D+9
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Tulane Gravier, New Orleans, LA D+70
- Collingwood, Charlotte, NC D+36
- South Abbott, Buffalo, NY D+6
- Lockeland Springs, Nashville, TN D+54
- Loch Raven Village, Parkville, MD D+55
- Newell, Charlotte, NC D+66
- Sterling, Charlotte, NC D+48
- Heistand, Madison, WI D+50
- North Waco, Waco, TX D+20
- Glennon Heights, Lakewood, CO D+10
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.