Oak Forest, Charlotte, NC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Oak Forest

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Oak Forest is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.

 

About 41% of adults in Oak Forest typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oak Forest, ~34% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~59% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Oak Forest compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Oak Forest leans more Democratic than 24 of 28 neighbors.

Oak Forest runs about 69 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Oak Forest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Why Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Oak Forest votes against the grain of North Carolina. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Oak Forest runs about 69 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 52% of adults in Oak Forest have never been married, above 85% of neighborhoods.

High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout

Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Oak Forest, Charlotte, NC does.

Why turnout in Oak Forest looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Oak Forest 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%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 69% of households in Oak Forest rent, compared to around 51% in nearby neighborhoods. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 38% of adults in Oak Forest report food insecurity, above 91% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.