Gaston leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Gaston typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gaston, ~20% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gaston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gaston leans more Republican than 32 of 52 neighbors.
Gaston runs about 15 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Gaston. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+17) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+49), a spread of about 66 points.
Why Gaston 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 Gaston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Gaston votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 31%, modestly above the South Carolina average of 24%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Gaston sits in the bottom quarter (about 12%, below 88% of cities).
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Gaston, SC does.
Why turnout in Gaston looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Gaston is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in Gaston report food insecurity, above 91% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in Gaston have completed high school, below 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- South Congaree, SC R+36
- Pine Ridge, SC R+34
- Swansea, SC R+41
- Pelion, SC R+65
- Cayce, SC R+6
- West Columbia, SC R+13
- Independents, SC R+18
- Springdale, SC R+30
- Red Bank, SC R+43
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mount Joy, PA R+19
- Mayfield, KY R+47
- Santa Fe Springs, CA D+25
- Powhatan, VA R+38
- Prineville, OR R+43
- Chesterton, IN R+7
- Port Wentworth, GA D+27
- Brookhaven, MS R+15
- Destin, FL R+40
- Circleville, OH R+34
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.