Washington Island leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Washington Island typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington Island, ~46% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washington Island compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Washington Island leans more Democratic than 5 of 11 neighbors.
Washington Island runs about 15 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and Washington Island sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why Washington Island 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 Washington Island, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 46% of adults in Washington Island hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Washington Island runs against the grain of Wisconsin, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Washington Island, WI 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 Island looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Washington Island is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Washington Island have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Gills Rock, WI D+14
- Ellison Bay, WI D+14
- Rowleys Bay, WI D+14
- Sister Bay, WI D+24
- Ephraim, WI D+23
- Sac Bay, MI R+31
- Fox, MI R+10
- Island View, MI R+35
- Fish Creek, WI D+22
- Baileys Harbor, WI D+8
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hopewell Center, NY R+27
- East Corning, NY R+19
- South Bend, NE R+39
- Charleston, ME R+37
- Parma, MO R+39
- Camp Wood, TX R+55
- Elk Garden, WV R+70
- Fort Towson, OK R+72
- Platea, PA R+34
- Maiden Rock, WI R+37
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, 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.