South Plains is a Republican stronghold. About 13% of voters here vote Democratic and 87% Republican.
About 73% of adults in South Plains typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Plains, ~9% vote Democratic, ~64% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Plains compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Plains leans more Republican than 8 of 13 neighbors.
South Plains runs about 60 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Why South Plains 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 South Plains, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in South Plains live in densely developed areas, about 31 points below the Texas average of 35%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 86% of households in South Plains are family households, above 97% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; South Plains, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in South Plains looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. South Plains is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 25%, about 6 points above the Texas average of 19%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lockney, TX R+54
- Aiken, TX R+66
- Flomot, TX R+86
- Quitaque, TX R+77
- Silverton, TX R+67
- Floydada, TX R+44
- Sandhill, TX R+72
Cities with Similar Populations
- Red Star, AR R+64
- Wenona, NC R+32
- Dodson, TN R+71
- Southside, AR R+68
- Nopal, TX R+69
- Sherard, MS R+33
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas 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.