Wells County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Wells County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wells County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wells County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Wells County leans more Republican than 12 of 17 neighbors.
Wells County runs about 37 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Wells County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+70) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+50), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Wells 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 Wells County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 84% of residents in Wells County drive to work alone, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Wells County, IN sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Wells County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wells County 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 63%, above 67% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Adams County, IN R+60
- Huntington County, IN R+45
- Blackford County, IN R+49
- Allen County, IN R+5
- Jay County, IN R+58
- Grant County, IN R+34
- Whitley County, IN R+51
- Wabash County, IN R+48
- Van Wert County, OH R+56
- Mercer County, OH R+65
Counties with Similar Populations
- Washington County, IN R+57
- Grant County, NM D+6
- Winchester City, VA D+12
- Montgomery County, KY R+52
- Baker County, FL R+61
- Carroll County, AR R+48
- Currituck County, NC R+49
- Dunklin County, MO R+50
- Montgomery County, IL R+44
- Wythe County, VA R+57
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.