Sherman County is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Sherman County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sherman County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sherman County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sherman County is the most Republican-leaning.
Sherman County runs about 73 points more Republican than Oregon as a whole. Oregon leans Democratic overall, while Sherman County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Sherman 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 Sherman County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sherman County votes against the grain of Oregon. Oregon leans Democratic overall, while Sherman County runs about 73 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Sherman County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 3%, below 97% of counties). Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Sherman County sits in the bottom quarter (about 16%, below 82% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Sherman County, OR sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sherman County looks the way it does
Turnout in Sherman County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Wasco County, OR R+14
- Gilliam County, OR R+48
- Klickitat County, WA R+11
- Hood River County, OR D+24
- Morrow County, OR R+36
- Wheeler County, OR R+51
- Skamania County, WA R+13
- Jefferson County, OR R+26
- Yakima County, WA R+6
- Benton County, WA R+21
Counties with Similar Populations
- Haakon County, SD R+71
- Garden County, NE R+70
- Logan County, ND R+75
- Oliver County, ND R+67
- Eureka County, NV R+72
- Armstrong County, TX R+77
- Gosper County, NE R+72
- Deuel County, NE R+71
- Mellette County, SD R+25
- Meagher County, MT R+58
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Oregon Secretary of State, 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.