36860 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 59% of adults in 36860 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 36860, ~42% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 36860 compares
36860 sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable zip codes nearby.
36860 runs about 75 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while 36860 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 36860. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+27), a spread of about 46 points.
Why 36860 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 36860, 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 71% of residents in 36860 are Black or African American, about 47 points above the Alabama average of 24%. 36860 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; 36860, 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 36860 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 36860 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 48%, about 6 points below the Alabama average of 54%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in 36860 report food insecurity, above 93% of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 85% of adults in 36860 have completed high school, below 82% 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.