Sierra County leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Sierra County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sierra County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sierra County compares
Sierra County runs about 23 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Sierra County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Sierra County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Sierra 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 Sierra County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sierra County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 48%, far above the New Mexico average of 18%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. Sierra County runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Sierra County, NM sits in the top 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 Sierra County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Sierra County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Grant County, NM D+6
- Luna County, NM R+19
- Dona Ana County, NM D+4
- Socorro County, NM Even
- Otero County, NM R+19
- Catron County, NM R+36
- Lincoln County, NM R+28
- Hidalgo County, NM R+22
- El Paso County, TX D+15
- Greenlee County, AZ R+45
Counties with Similar Populations
- Douglas County, MO R+70
- Red River County, TX R+51
- Haskell County, OK R+69
- Conecuh County, AL R+7
- Ramsey County, ND R+30
- Rio Grande County, CO R+22
- Trousdale County, TN R+59
- Jackson County, TN R+65
- Charlotte County, VA R+31
- Teton County, ID R+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Mexico Secretary of State, Bureau 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.