Washington County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Washington County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington County, ~47% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washington County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Washington County leans more Democratic than 10 of 11 neighbors.
Washington County runs about 71 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Washington County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Washington County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+79) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 116 points.
Why Washington 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 Washington County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Washington County is about 23%, about 49 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Washington County have never been married, above 96% of counties. Washington County runs against the grain of Mississippi, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Washington County, MS sits in the top quarter 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 Washington County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Washington County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 7%, about 53 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Chicot County, AR D+3
- Sunflower County, MS D+35
- Bolivar County, MS D+34
- Humphreys County, MS D+43
- Sharkey County, MS D+48
- Issaquena County, MS R+11
- Desha County, AR R+7
- East Carroll Parish, LA D+18
- West Carroll Parish, LA R+70
- Leflore County, MS D+53
Counties with Similar Populations
- Macoupin County, IL R+42
- Polk County, WI R+33
- Branch County, MI R+38
- Wood County, TX R+68
- Lawrence County, IN R+51
- Itasca County, MN R+22
- Chilton County, AL R+69
- Henderson County, KY R+33
- Shelby County, IN R+47
- Bryan County, GA R+35
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi 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.