Forest is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Forest typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Forest, ~15% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Forest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Forest leans more Republican than 21 of 36 neighbors.
Forest runs about 21 points more Republican than Alabama as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Forest. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+44), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Forest 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 Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Forest drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Forest are family households, above 76% of cities.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Forest, AL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Forest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Forest is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 60%, below 55% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ethelsville, AL R+33
- Steens, MS R+53
- Millport, AL R+78
- Columbus, MS D+11
- Melrose, AL R+16
- Caledonia, MS R+70
- Hightogy, AL R+87
- Kolola Springs, MS R+51
- Palmetto, AL R+74
- Reform, AL R+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Airlie, VA R+20
- McIllwain, TN R+67
- Pottersville, NY R+25
- New Richmond, PA R+55
- Tuscola, MS D+9
- Buffington, PA R+28
- Hingham, WI R+47
- Kessler, WV R+62
- Hannah, GA R+61
- Tyner, IN R+51
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama Secretary of State, 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.