Reader leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Reader typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Reader, ~19% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Reader compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Reader leans more Republican than 3 of 43 neighbors.
Reader runs about 19 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Reader. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+29) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+9), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Reader 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 Reader, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 7% of adults in Reader hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the Arkansas average of 18%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Reader sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 3%, below 90% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 78% of households in Reader are family households, above 84% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Reader, AR sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Reader looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 23% of adults in Reader report food insecurity, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Reader sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 33% of households in Reader rent, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bluff City, AR R+14
- Sayre, AR R+26
- Whelen Springs, AR R+65
- Good Hope, AR R+29
- Chidester, AR R+22
- Sycamore, AR R+52
- Redland, AR R+27
- Cale, AR R+55
- Red Springs, AR R+53
- Gurdon, AR R+24
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sergeant, PA R+46
- Sellers, MO R+70
- Elkinsville, IN R+54
- Elbert, TX R+83
- Dudley, SD R+60
- Upper Flats, WV R+62
- Neafus, KY R+69
- Sugarland, MD D+13
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.