Smith County is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Smith County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Smith County, ~13% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Smith County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Smith County leans more Republican than 9 of 19 neighbors.
Smith County runs about 34 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Why Smith 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 Smith County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 71% of households in Smith County are family households, above 83% of counties. Rural areas vote Republican, and Smith County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 12%, below 78% of counties).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Smith County, TN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Smith County looks the way it does
Turnout in Smith 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
- Trousdale County, TN R+59
- Jackson County, TN R+65
- DeKalb County, TN R+63
- Macon County, TN R+68
- Wilson County, TN R+39
- Putnam County, TN R+43
- Cannon County, TN R+69
- Clay County, TN R+67
- Sumner County, TN R+40
- White County, TN R+66
Counties with Similar Populations
- Taylor County, WI R+46
- Dodge County, GA R+43
- Orange County, IN R+54
- Davison County, SD R+43
- Montague County, TX R+70
- DeWitt County, TX R+49
- Washington County, GA D+3
- Spencer County, IN R+49
- Union County, TN R+70
- Tyler County, TX R+70
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.