Thelma is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Thelma typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Thelma, ~11% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Thelma compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Thelma leans more Republican than 41 of 123 neighbors.
Thelma runs about 36 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Thelma 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 Thelma, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 89% of residents in Thelma drive to work alone, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 89% of households in Thelma are family households, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Thelma, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally 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 Thelma looks the way it does
Turnout in Thelma 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 Cities
- Williamsport, KY R+66
- Paintsville, KY R+57
- Tutor Key, KY R+70
- Meally, KY R+66
- West Van Lear, KY R+58
- Wittensville, KY R+66
- Collista, KY R+66
- River, KY R+73
- Van Lear, KY R+65
- Boons Camp, KY R+69
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kismet, KS R+76
- Manassas, GA R+52
- Poland Spring, ME R+23
- Flensburg, MN R+65
- Rodman, NY R+44
- Triumph, ID D+10
- Syria, IN R+61
- Mayetta, NJ R+32
- Lakeside, OH R+17
- Kansas, AL R+85
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.