Burke County leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Burke County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Burke County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Burke County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Burke County leans more Republican than 5 of 17 neighbors.
Burke County runs about 5 points more Republican than Georgia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Burke County. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+9) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+30), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Burke 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 Burke County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 14% of adults in Burke County hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the Georgia average of 24%.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Burke County, GA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Burke County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Burke 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
- Jenkins County, GA R+20
- Richmond County, GA D+41
- Jefferson County, GA D+5
- Columbia County, GA R+21
- Aiken County, SC R+24
- Screven County, GA R+23
- Glascock County, GA R+80
- McDuffie County, GA R+14
- Barnwell County, SC R+13
- Emanuel County, GA R+35
Counties with Similar Populations
- Nicholas County, WV R+60
- Somerset County, MD Even
- Uvalde County, TX R+23
- Union County, GA R+58
- Cassia County, ID R+63
- Rowan County, KY R+34
- Waushara County, WI R+33
- White County, IN R+43
- Jefferson County, OR R+26
- Randolph County, IN R+55
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Georgia Elections Division, 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.