Plains is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 61% of adults in Plains typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Plains, ~9% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Plains compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Plains leans more Republican than 2 of 7 neighbors.
Plains runs about 58 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Why Plains 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 Plains, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 12% of adults in Plains hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Texas average of 26%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Plains sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 4%, below 86% of cities).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Plains, TX sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Plains looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Plains is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 26%, about 7 points above the Texas average of 19%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 34% of households in Plains rent, above 90% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Plains sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bronco, TX R+71
- Tokio, TX R+72
- Denver City, TX R+57
- Higginbotham, TX R+81
- Prairieview, NM R+76
- Seagraves, TX R+56
- Wellman, TX R+81
Cities with Similar Populations
- Beavertown, PA R+68
- Chula, GA R+74
- Grulla, TX R+14
- Blacksher, AL R+69
- Harwich Port, MA D+21
- North Adams, MI R+52
- Mentha, MI R+27
- Parker, SD R+54
- Gilbertown, AL R+68
- Deer Island, OR R+30
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.