Shively is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Shively typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Shively, ~45% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Shively compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Shively leans more Democratic than 111 of 112 neighbors.
Shively runs about 84 points more Democratic than Kentucky as a whole. Kentucky leans Republican overall, while Shively is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Shively. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+72) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+18), a spread of about 54 points.
Why Shively 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 Shively, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Shively live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Shively have never been married, above 93% of cities. Shively runs against the grain of Kentucky, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Shively, KY sits in the top tenth 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 Shively looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 36% of households in Shively rent, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Parkway Village, KY D+28
- Audubon Park, KY D+18
- Lynnview, KY R+4
- Louisville, KY R+3
- Fairdale, KY R+27
- Watterson Park, KY D+27
- Strathmoor Village, KY D+49
- Edwardsville, IN R+44
- Seneca Gardens, KY D+54
- Kingsley, KY D+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dumas, TX R+33
- Goffstown, NH Even
- Rocky Mount, VA R+36
- Chester, SC D+5
- Kingston, TN R+59
- New Carrollton, MD D+70
- Glen Carbon, IL D+3
- Seabrook, TX R+27
- Grafton, WI R+7
- Discovery Bay, CA R+12
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky 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.