South Southeast 1, Topeka, KS Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in South Southeast 1

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

South Southeast 1 leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.

 

About 58% of adults in South Southeast 1 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Southeast 1, ~35% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How South Southeast 1 compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Southeast 1 leans more Democratic than 5 of 6 neighbors.

South Southeast 1 runs about 38 points more Democratic than Kansas as a whole. Kansas leans Republican overall, while South Southeast 1 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by block within South Southeast 1. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+32) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+5), a spread of about 28 points.

Why South Southeast 1 leans the way it does

This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for South Southeast 1, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

South Southeast 1 votes against the grain of Kansas. Kansas leans Republican overall, while South Southeast 1 runs about 38 points more Democratic.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South Southeast 1, Topeka, KS sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in South Southeast 1 looks the way it does

Turnout in South Southeast 1 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.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.