35442 leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 59% of adults in 35442 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 35442, ~34% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 35442 compares
35442 sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable zip codes nearby.
35442 runs about 47 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while 35442 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 35442. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+56) and the east side runs the most Republican (R+41), a spread of about 96 points.
Why 35442 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 35442, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 52% of residents in 35442 are Black or African American, about 29 points above the Alabama average of 24%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in 35442 have never been married, above 77% of zip codes. 35442 runs against the grain of Alabama, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; 35442, AL 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 35442 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 35442 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 44%, about 9 points below the Alabama average of 54%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 42% of households in 35442 rent, compared to around 24% in nearby zip codes. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 34% of adults in 35442 report food insecurity, above 96% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama 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.