Preston leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Preston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Preston, ~22% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Preston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Preston leans more Republican than 74 of 96 neighbors.
Preston runs about 74 points more Republican than Maryland as a whole. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Preston is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Preston. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+36), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Preston 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 Preston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Preston votes against the grain of Maryland. Maryland leans Democratic overall, while Preston runs about 74 points more Republican. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Preston drive to work alone, above 83% of cities.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Preston, MD sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Preston looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Preston is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 64%, above 66% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Harmony, MD R+47
- Tanyard, MD R+33
- Matthews, MD R+39
- Hynson, MD R+26
- Williston, MD R+42
- Ivytown, MD R+11
- Hurlock, MD R+23
- Lewistown, MD R+39
- Concord, MD R+27
- Federalsburg, MD R+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- Langley, WA D+54
- Belleair, FL R+19
- Tully, NY R+9
- Pablo, MT R+22
- Berwyn Heights, MD D+47
- Planada, CA D+10
- Henly, TX R+33
- Shrewsbury, NJ R+6
- Pacolet, SC R+57
- Gold Beach, OR R+12
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland State Board of 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.