Elko leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Elko typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elko, ~20% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Elko compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Elko leans more Republican than 31 of 41 neighbors.
Elko runs about 18 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Why Elko 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 Elko, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in Elko hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the South Carolina average of 23%.
Foreign-born share and voter turnout
Places with a low foreign-born share tend to turn out in mixed patterns; Elko, SC sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Elko looks the way it does
Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Elko sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Williston, SC R+16
- Hilda, SC R+60
- Blackville, SC D+28
- Barnwell, SC R+19
- Snelling, SC R+22
- Windsor, SC R+58
- Springfield, SC D+12
- Yenome, SC R+29
- Sweden, SC D+25
- Sato, SC D+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hillsboro, WV R+49
- Stockton, NY R+35
- Proberta, CA R+39
- Millville, MI R+36
- Princeton Station, MA R+14
- Tate, GA R+60
- Pinehurst, SC D+11
- Caspar, CA D+43
- Brandsville, MO R+70
- Frenchville, ME R+40
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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.