Barnwell County leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Barnwell County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Barnwell County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Barnwell County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Barnwell County leans more Republican than 6 of 14 neighbors.
Barnwell County runs about 5 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Barnwell County. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+42) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+56), a spread of about 99 points.
Why Barnwell County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Barnwell County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Barnwell County hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the South Carolina average of 23%.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Barnwell County, SC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Barnwell County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Barnwell County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bamberg County, SC D+18
- Allendale County, SC D+37
- Aiken County, SC R+24
- Orangeburg County, SC D+28
- Hampton County, SC D+9
- Burke County, GA R+7
- Calhoun County, SC R+15
- Richmond County, GA D+41
- Screven County, GA R+23
- Edgefield County, SC R+23
Counties with Similar Populations
- Allen County, KY R+64
- Dukes County, MA D+41
- Buchanan County, IA R+36
- Meriwether County, GA R+22
- Adams County, WA R+31
- Kewaunee County, WI R+39
- Hutchinson County, TX R+60
- Colorado County, TX R+42
- Greene County, VA R+26
- Jones County, IA R+27
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.