Widener is a true toss-up. About 52% of voters here vote Democratic and 48% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Widener typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Widener, ~23% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Widener compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Widener leans more Democratic than 32 of 51 neighbors.
Widener runs about 34 points more Democratic than Arkansas as a whole. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Widener is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Widener. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+26), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Widener 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 Widener, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Widener votes against the grain of Arkansas. Arkansas leans Republican overall, while Widener runs about 34 points more Democratic.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Widener, AR sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Widener looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Widener 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 43%, about 8 points below the Arkansas average of 51%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Widener report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 77% of adults in Widener have completed high school, below 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Madison, AR D+67
- Forrest City, AR D+30
- Newcastle, AR R+61
- Caldwell, AR R+36
- Meadow Cliff, AR R+33
- Haynes, AR R+14
- Gladden, AR D+6
- Colt, AR R+41
- Shannondale, AR D+45
Cities with Similar Populations
- Alstead Center, NH R+17
- Forest Home, AL R+24
- Pineora, GA R+69
- French Lake, MN R+43
- Grand Chain, IL R+61
- Edmonson, TX R+78
- Haverhill, IA R+47
- Bruning, NE R+68
- Hulington, OH R+54
- Sun River, MT R+63
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas 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.