Topeka, KS Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Topeka

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

Topeka leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.

 

About 66% of adults in Topeka typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Topeka, ~36% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Topeka compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Topeka leans more Democratic than 34 of 35 neighbors.

Topeka runs about 24 points more Democratic than Kansas as a whole. Kansas leans Republican overall, while Topeka is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Topeka. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+28) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+12), a spread of about 41 points.

Why Topeka 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 Topeka, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 77% of residents in Topeka live in densely developed areas, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Topeka sits in the top quarter (about 31%, above 76% of cities). Topeka runs against the grain of Kansas, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Topeka, KS sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in Topeka looks the way it does

Turnout in Topeka 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.

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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.