Taos County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Taos County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Taos County, ~54% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Taos County compares
Taos County sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable counties nearby.
Taos County runs about 36 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Taos County. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+57) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Taos 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 Taos County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 39% of adults in Taos County hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Taos County have never been married, above 86% of counties.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Taos County, NM sits above the national average on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Taos County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Taos County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Mora County, NM D+18
- Rio Arriba County, NM D+20
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- Colfax County, NM R+10
- Conejos County, CO R+25
- Santa Fe County, NM D+45
- Costilla County, CO D+19
- San Miguel County, NM D+24
- Alamosa County, CO R+3
- Las Animas County, CO R+13
Counties with Similar Populations
- Nicollet County, MN R+9
- Putnam County, OH R+66
- Barry County, MO R+62
- Steuben County, IN R+45
- Cowley County, KS R+38
- Brookings County, SD R+25
- Clark County, WI R+43
- Marshall County, TN R+54
- Harris County, GA R+45
- Effingham County, IL R+56
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Mexico Secretary of State, Bureau 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.