Polk County is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Polk County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Polk County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~62% Republican, and ~23% 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 14 neighbors.
Polk County runs about 41 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Polk County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+53), a spread of about 16 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.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Polk County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 90% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 72%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Polk County, NE sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Polk County looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 94% of adults in Polk County have completed high school, above 84% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- York County, NE R+52
- Platte County, NE R+48
- Butler County, NE R+62
- Nance County, NE R+60
- Merrick County, NE R+60
- Seward County, NE R+52
- Hamilton County, NE R+61
- Colfax County, NE R+27
- Boone County, NE R+64
- Fillmore County, NE R+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Warren County, GA D+15
- Carter County, MO R+71
- Delta County, TX R+68
- Aleutians West Census Area, AK Even
- Wirt County, WV R+65
- Pulaski County, IL R+26
- Martin County, TX R+68
- Dewey County, SD D+30
- Alexander County, IL R+4
- Kingsbury County, SD R+50
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.