Wells leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Wells typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wells, ~16% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wells compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wells leans more Republican than 1 of 99 neighbors.
Wells runs about 13 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wells. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+61) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+30), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Wells 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 Wells, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 3% of adults in Wells hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Kentucky average of 19%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 89% of residents in Wells drive to work alone, above 92% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Wells, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Wells looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wells 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 50%, about 10 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 35% of households in Wells rent, compared to around 19% in nearby cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 70% of adults in Wells have completed high school, below 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Central City, KY R+45
- Nelson, KY R+61
- South Carrollton, KY R+61
- Cleaton, KY R+61
- Rockport, KY R+64
- Moorman, KY R+62
- Gishton, KY R+65
- Powderly, KY R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Balfour, ND R+55
- Fly Summit, NY R+6
- Beaver, KS R+75
- Irena, MO R+69
- Tinkerville, MO R+59
- Perronville, MI R+41
- North Burke, NY R+36
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky 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.