Washington leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Washington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington, ~37% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washington compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Washington leans more Republican than 10 of 54 neighbors.
Washington runs about 6 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Washington. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+36) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+41), a spread of about 78 points.
Why Washington 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Washington votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 36%, modestly above the North Carolina average of 27%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Washington, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Washington looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Washington is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Washington Park, NC R+30
- Hootentown, NC R+41
- Chocowinity, NC R+35
- Camp Leach, NC R+61
- Five Points, NC R+57
- Pactolus, NC R+16
- Blounts Creek, NC R+34
- Grimesland, NC R+26
- Everetts Crossroads, NC R+62
- McConnell, NC R+28
Cities with Similar Populations
- Jesup, GA R+44
- Fernley, NV R+40
- Portsmouth, OH R+30
- Machesney Park, IL R+14
- Huntington, IN R+41
- Panama City Beach, FL R+36
- Lynden, WA R+26
- Oldsmar, FL R+16
- Monroe, WA R+3
- Roxboro, NC R+11
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina 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.