Oatland leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Oatland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oatland, ~47% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oatland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oatland leans more Democratic than 29 of 32 neighbors.
Oatland runs about 53 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Oatland is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Why Oatland 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 Oatland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oatland votes against the grain of South Carolina. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Oatland runs about 53 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 31% of adults in Oatland have never been married, above 77% of cities.
Renting and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Oatland, SC sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Oatland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Oatland is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 61%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 97% of households in Oatland own their home, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Dunbar, SC D+32
- Choppee, SC R+23
- Kensington, SC R+13
- Graves, SC R+59
- Georgetown, SC Even
- Rhems, SC R+10
- Plantersville, SC D+4
- Simmonsville, SC R+20
- Waverly Mills, SC R+24
- Warsaw, SC R+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pickrell Corner, KS R+55
- Sigurd, UT R+77
- Orick, CA D+43
- Olivesburg, OH R+61
- Bud, IN R+57
- Ogden, AR R+36
- Jeffrey, WV R+64
- Los Padillas, NM R+3
- Maples, IN R+55
- Jericho, KY R+62
All Local Stats
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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.