Owyhee County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Owyhee County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Owyhee County, ~12% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Owyhee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Owyhee County is the most Republican-leaning.
Owyhee County runs about 26 points more Republican than Idaho as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Owyhee County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+80) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Owyhee County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Owyhee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Owyhee County hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Idaho average of 26%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 72% of households in Owyhee County are family households, above 85% of counties.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Owyhee County, ID sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Owyhee County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Owyhee County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Canyon County, ID R+40
- Ada County, ID R+8
- Gem County, ID R+58
- Malheur County, OR R+42
- Payette County, ID R+57
- Boise County, ID R+50
- Elmore County, ID R+42
- Washington County, ID R+57
- Camas County, ID R+72
- Valley County, ID R+41
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lyon County, IA R+65
- Lunenburg County, VA R+24
- Linn County, MO R+55
- Summers County, WV R+52
- Custer County, MT R+43
- Morris County, TX R+39
- Greene County, IL R+56
- Northumberland County, VA R+19
- Terry County, TX R+49
- Prowers County, CO R+38
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Idaho 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.