Big Sandy is a Republican stronghold. About 12% of voters here vote Democratic and 88% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Big Sandy typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Big Sandy, ~7% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Big Sandy compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Big Sandy leans more Republican than 136 of 160 neighbors.
Big Sandy runs about 34 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Big Sandy 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 Big Sandy, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. More than 99% of residents in Big Sandy drive to work alone, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Big Sandy fits that profile on both counts.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Big Sandy, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Big Sandy looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Big Sandy 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 34%, about 18 points below the West Virginia average of 52%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 37% of adults in Big Sandy report food insecurity, above 98% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Big Sandy sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Roderfield, WV R+71
- Hensley, WV R+70
- Erin, WV R+68
- Twin Branch, WV R+70
- Wilmore, WV R+71
- Davy, WV R+70
- Premier, WV R+70
- Mohegan, WV R+67
- Sandy Huff, WV R+75
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fourmile Hill, AR R+58
- Pawelekville, TX R+69
- Youngsville, NM D+7
- Golden Corners, OH R+59
- Gonce, AL R+73
- Neshannock Falls, PA R+51
- Roseglen, ND D+3
- New Hampden, VA R+44
- White Plains, SC R+60
- Martinsville, MO R+69
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.