Dover leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Dover typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dover, ~26% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dover compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Dover leans more Republican than 30 of 57 neighbors.
Dover runs about 24 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Dover. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+64) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 50 points.
Why Dover 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 Dover, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 91% of residents in Dover drive to work alone, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Dover, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Dover looks the way it does
Turnout in Dover 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 Cities
- Fort Barnwell, NC R+24
- Wise Forks, NC R+40
- Sassers Mill, NC R+26
- Cove City, NC R+27
- Graingers, NC R+16
- Shady Grove, NC R+34
- Georgetown, NC D+9
- Pollocks, NC R+16
- Quinerly, NC R+23
- Maplecypress, NC R+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- Springville, MS R+76
- Conception Junction, MO R+57
- Henderson, GA R+28
- Vander, NC R+24
- Maribel, WI R+45
- Pittsburg, MO R+59
- Romeo, FL R+56
- Merrill, IA R+57
- Lima Center, WI R+23
- Mountain Village, CO D+48
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board of 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.