Gifford leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Gifford typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gifford, ~30% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gifford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gifford leans more Democratic than 30 of 45 neighbors.
Gifford runs about 24 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Gifford is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Gifford. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+36) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+3), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Gifford 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 Gifford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 43% of adults in Gifford have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 27%). Gifford runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Gifford, SC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Gifford looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Gifford is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 49%, about 9 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Gifford report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 72% of adults in Gifford have completed high school, below 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Luray, SC D+17
- Brunson, SC R+23
- Crocketville, SC R+24
- Fairfax, SC D+38
- Estill, SC D+31
- Hampton, SC R+5
- Miley, SC R+54
- Lena, SC D+36
- Nixville, SC R+58
- Varnville, SC D+4
Cities with Similar Populations
- Montana Mines, WV R+45
- Durham, KS R+66
- McMillan, MS D+16
- Pelican, LA R+19
- Neelyton, PA R+70
- Deerbrook, MS D+8
- Price, MD R+36
- Lamson, MN R+51
- Ojibwa, WI R+36
- South Pomfret, VT D+31
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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.