Smale leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Smale typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Smale, ~11% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Smale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Smale leans more Republican than 23 of 46 neighbors.
Smale runs about 18 points more Republican than Arkansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Smale. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+24), a spread of about 48 points.
Why Smale 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 Smale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Smale live in densely developed areas, about 9 points below the Arkansas average of 13%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Smale sits in the bottom quarter (about 13%, below 84% of cities).
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Smale, AR does.
Why turnout in Smale looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Smale is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 47%, about 13 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 39% of households in Smale rent, above 93% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 26% of adults in Smale report food insecurity, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Brinkley, AR R+17
- Rich, AR R+61
- Fargo, AR R+12
- Wheatley, AR R+24
- Brasfield, AR R+77
- Biscoe, AR R+59
- Clarendon, AR R+52
- Monroe, AR R+56
- Zent, AR R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Alice, ND R+44
- Dorothy, WV R+71
- Ketchumville, NY R+28
- Eckard, IL R+49
- Holder, FL R+48
- Bruno, AR R+63
- Santa Elena, TX R+9
- Little, WV R+64
- Mount Zion, IA R+51
- Redwater, MS D+20
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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.