Near Southside is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Near Southside typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Near Southside, ~50% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Near Southside compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Near Southside leans more Democratic than 19 of 25 neighbors.
Near Southside runs about 84 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Near Southside is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Near Southside. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+81) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+53), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Near Southside leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Near Southside, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Near Southside votes against the grain of Ohio. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Near Southside runs about 84 points more Democratic. Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting, and non-Hispanic white share in Near Southside is about 30%, compared to around 50% in nearby neighborhoods. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in Near Southside have never been married, above 84% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Near Southside, Columbus, OH sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Near Southside looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. Near Southside sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Near Southside report food insecurity, above 81% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Southern Orchards, Columbus, OH D+74
- South Side, Columbus, OH D+50
- Southside Columbus, Columbus, OH D+59
- Near East, Columbus, OH D+76
- Berwick, Columbus, OH D+62
- Downtown Columbus, Columbus, OH D+55
- Tri-South, Columbus, OH D+58
- Eastmoor, Columbus, OH D+56
- Italian Village, Columbus, OH D+53
- Linwood, Columbus, OH D+76
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Muscoy, San Bernardino, CA D+20
- Alderwood Manor, Lynnwood, WA D+23
- Cleveland Park, Washington, DC D+77
- La Sierra Acres, Riverside, CA D+8
- Mission-Garin, Hayward, CA D+43
- Sunnyside, Clackamas, OR D+26
- North Deering, Portland, ME D+46
- Glendale-Heatherdowns, Toledo, OH D+24
- Radburn, Fair Lawn, NJ D+8
- Highland Hills, Henderson, NV R+9
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.