Vernon County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Vernon County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Vernon County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Vernon County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Vernon County leans more Republican than 3 of 9 neighbors.
Vernon County runs about 38 points more Republican than Missouri as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Vernon County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+51), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Vernon 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 Vernon County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Vernon County, about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 28%.
Frequent mental distress and voter turnout
Places with a low frequent-mental-distress rate tend to turn out at a higher rate; Vernon County, MO sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Reported mental distress does not drive turnout; it reflects economic and health conditions tied to voting.
Why turnout in Vernon County looks the way it does
Turnout in Vernon County 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 Counties
- Bourbon County, KS R+48
- Barton County, MO R+65
- Cedar County, MO R+65
- Bates County, MO R+60
- St. Clair County, MO R+64
- Crawford County, KS R+28
- Linn County, KS R+61
- Dade County, MO R+67
- Jasper County, MO R+40
- Henry County, MO R+54
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pierce County, GA R+71
- Lincoln County, MT R+50
- Douglas County, IL R+48
- Jones County, TX R+47
- Gonzales County, TX R+41
- Holmes County, FL R+71
- Monroe County, AL R+23
- Franklin Parish, LA R+38
- Elbert County, GA R+35
- Wayne County, MS R+25
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Missouri 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.