Chatham County leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Chatham County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chatham County, ~43% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chatham County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Chatham County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Chatham County runs about 28 points more Democratic than Georgia as a whole. Georgia is roughly evenly split, and Chatham County sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Chatham County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+64) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+4), a spread of about 68 points.
Why Chatham 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 Chatham County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 66% of residents in Chatham County live in densely developed areas, about 30 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Chatham County sits in the top quarter (about 37%, above 88% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Chatham County have never been married, above 93% of counties.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Chatham County, GA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Chatham County looks the way it does
Turnout in Chatham County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Bryan County, GA R+35
- Effingham County, GA R+46
- Jasper County, SC Even
- Beaufort County, SC R+9
- Liberty County, GA D+16
- Long County, GA R+26
- McIntosh County, GA R+24
- Bulloch County, GA R+10
- Evans County, GA R+33
- Hampton County, SC D+9
Counties with Similar Populations
- Cleveland County, OK R+14
- Thurston County, WA D+19
- Dutchess County, NY D+8
- Ottawa County, MI R+16
- Lexington County, SC R+30
- Clayton County, GA D+68
- Leon County, FL D+26
- Greene County, MO R+18
- Anchorage Municipality, AK D+20
- St. Louis City, MO D+65
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.