Summit County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Summit County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Summit County, ~42% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Summit County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Summit County leans more Democratic than 14 of 15 neighbors.
Summit County runs about 21 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Summit County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Summit County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+40) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+13), a spread of about 53 points.
Why Summit 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 Summit County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 84% of residents in Summit County live in densely developed areas, about 47 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Summit County sits in the top quarter (about 36%, above 87% of counties). Summit County runs against the grain of Ohio, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Summit County, OH sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Summit County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Summit County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 63%, above 69% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Portage County, OH R+12
- Medina County, OH R+25
- Stark County, OH R+18
- Cuyahoga County, OH D+35
- Wayne County, OH R+42
- Geauga County, OH R+30
- Lorain County, OH R+5
- Trumbull County, OH R+17
- Lake County, OH R+11
- Carroll County, OH R+55
Counties with Similar Populations
- Guilford County, NC D+30
- Spokane County, WA R+3
- Montgomery County, OH D+6
- Chester County, PA D+14
- Plymouth County, MA D+11
- Ramsey County, MN D+43
- Stanislaus County, CA R+8
- Lancaster County, PA R+17
- Volusia County, FL R+17
- Greenville County, SC R+14
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.