Kershaw County leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Kershaw County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kershaw County, ~27% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kershaw County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kershaw County is the most Republican-leaning.
Kershaw County runs about 14 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Kershaw County. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+6) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+52), a spread of about 59 points.
Why Kershaw County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Kershaw County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 82% of residents in Kershaw County drive to work alone, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 71% of households in Kershaw County are family households, above 82% of counties.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Kershaw County, SC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Kershaw County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 83% of households in Kershaw County own their home, about 6 points above the South Carolina average of 77%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Lee County, SC D+20
- Richland County, SC D+38
- Fairfield County, SC D+13
- Sumter County, SC D+9
- Darlington County, SC R+8
- Lexington County, SC R+30
- Lancaster County, SC R+23
- Chester County, SC R+16
- Chesterfield County, SC R+28
- Calhoun County, SC R+15
Counties with Similar Populations
- Marion County, OH R+35
- Walker County, AL R+72
- Clay County, MN R+3
- Liberty County, GA D+16
- Jefferson County, OH R+35
- Armstrong County, PA R+52
- Lincoln County, SD R+29
- Chaves County, NM R+37
- Mason County, WA R+5
- Warren County, NY R+2
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.