Barclay Downs leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 96% of adults in Barclay Downs typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Barclay Downs, ~55% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~4% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Barclay Downs compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Barclay Downs leans more Democratic than 11 of 36 neighbors.
Barclay Downs runs about 18 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Barclay Downs is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Barclay Downs. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+22) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+4), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Barclay Downs leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Barclay Downs, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 79% of adults in Barclay Downs hold a bachelor's degree, about 50 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Barclay Downs runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Barclay Downs, Charlotte, NC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Barclay Downs looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Barclay Downs 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Barclay Downs have completed high school, above 94% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Madison Park, Charlotte, NC D+24
- Closeburn-Glenkirk, Charlotte, NC D+24
- Myers Park, Charlotte, NC D+9
- Foxcroft, Charlotte, NC D+7
- Ashbrook-Clawson Village, Charlotte, NC D+27
- Collingwood, Charlotte, NC D+36
- Starmount, Charlotte, NC D+32
- Sharon Woods, Charlotte, NC D+12
- Beverly Woods, Charlotte, NC D+7
- Quail Hollow, Charlotte, NC D+15
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Third Ward, Eau Claire, WI D+45
- Fairlawn, Washington, DC D+86
- Jefferson Chalmers, Detroit, MI D+84
- Elmwood, New Orleans, LA D+17
- Marlwood, Charlotte, NC D+34
- Sehome, Bellingham, WA D+74
- Fairway-Liberty Heights, Lexington, KY D+43
- Hampden-Woodberry-Remington, Baltimore, MD D+52
- Lake Windcrest, Magnolia, TX R+51
- Hagginwood, Sacramento, CA D+29
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina 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.