Brookdale is a Democratic stronghold. About 92% of voters here vote Democratic and 8% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Brookdale typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brookdale, ~53% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brookdale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Brookdale is the most Democratic-leaning.
Brookdale runs about 102 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Brookdale is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Brookdale 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 Brookdale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Brookdale is about 3%, about 69 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 54% of adults in Brookdale have never been married, in the top fraction of cities. Brookdale runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Brookdale, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Brookdale looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Brookdale 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 11 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 47% of households in Brookdale rent, compared to around 23% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 43% of adults in Brookdale report food insecurity, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Orangeburg, SC D+44
- Cordova, SC D+6
- Cameron, SC R+23
- Rowesville, SC D+9
- Wolfton, SC D+7
- St. Matthews, SC D+6
- Singleton, SC D+3
- Cope, SC R+47
- Creston, SC R+23
- Elloree, SC D+10
Cities with Similar Populations
- Maple Falls, WA R+9
- Belle, WV R+40
- Holmes, PA R+2
- Luverne, AL R+48
- Ferdinand, IN R+50
- Sherwood, WI R+31
- Valley, NE R+32
- Hulbert, OK R+47
- Caledonia, MN R+32
- Cuba City, WI R+32
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.