Richardson County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Richardson County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Richardson County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Richardson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Richardson County leans more Republican than 9 of 14 neighbors.
Richardson County runs about 35 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Richardson County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+64) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+44), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Richardson 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 Richardson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 10% of residents in Richardson County live in densely developed areas, about 7 points below the Nebraska average of 17%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Richardson County, NE 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 Richardson County looks the way it does
Turnout in Richardson County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Brown County, KS R+42
- Nemaha County, NE R+45
- Nemaha County, KS R+64
- Atchison County, MO R+59
- Holt County, MO R+61
- Pawnee County, NE R+61
- Johnson County, NE R+51
- Doniphan County, KS R+58
- Otoe County, NE R+39
- Fremont County, IA R+47
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pocahontas County, WV R+55
- Power County, ID R+46
- Anderson County, KS R+58
- Searcy County, AR R+68
- San Augustine County, TX R+47
- Taylor County, GA R+22
- Thomas County, KS R+67
- Doddridge County, WV R+69
- Northwest Arctic Borough, AK D+17
- Winkler County, TX R+59
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.