Polk County is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Polk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Polk County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Polk County leans more Republican than 10 of 17 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 51 points more Republican than Georgia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Polk County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+27), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Polk 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 Polk County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Polk County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Polk County sits in the bottom quarter (about 15%, below 87% of counties). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 71% of households in Polk 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; Polk County, GA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Polk County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Polk 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
- Floyd County, GA R+37
- Haralson County, GA R+73
- Paulding County, GA R+20
- Bartow County, GA R+46
- Carroll County, GA R+35
- Cherokee County, AL R+76
- Douglas County, GA D+28
- Cleburne County, AL R+84
- Chattooga County, GA R+58
- Cobb County, GA D+20
Counties with Similar Populations
- Stephens County, OK R+58
- Levy County, FL R+56
- Franklin County, TN R+59
- Manassas City, VA D+14
- Douglas County, WA R+25
- Richmond County, NC R+15
- Camden County, MO R+54
- Pettis County, MO R+43
- Fulton County, OH R+45
- Davie County, NC R+45
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Georgia 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.