Kelford is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Kelford typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kelford, ~50% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kelford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kelford leans more Democratic than 52 of 57 neighbors.
Kelford runs about 54 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Kelford is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kelford. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+59) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+35), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Kelford 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 Kelford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 77% of residents in Kelford are Black or African American, about 59 points above the North Carolina average of 18%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in Kelford have never been married, above 92% of cities. Kelford runs against the grain of North 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; Kelford, NC 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 Kelford looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Kelford 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 45%, about 16 points below the North Carolina average of 61%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Woodville, NC D+57
- Roxobel, NC D+50
- Lewiston Woodville, NC D+64
- Eagletown, NC D+25
- Norfleet, NC D+50
- Aulander, NC D+6
- Connaritsa, NC D+18
- Rich Square, NC D+32
- Earley, NC D+12
Cities with Similar Populations
- South New Castle, PA R+30
- Lester, IA R+77
- Mattawamkeag, ME R+32
- Chamisal, NM D+28
- Luck, NC R+35
- Hardeetown, FL R+72
- Sherwood, MS R+76
- Mount Harmony, WV R+46
- Joppa, IL R+59
- Bowmansville, PA R+52
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.