Relief is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Relief typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Relief, ~13% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Relief compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Relief leans more Republican than 40 of 60 neighbors.
Relief runs about 64 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Relief. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+46), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Relief 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 Relief, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 90% of residents in Relief drive to work alone, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Relief, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Relief looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Relief 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 63%, above 59% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Huntdale, NC R+51
- Upper Poplar, NC R+74
- Green Mountain, NC R+52
- Lewisburg, NC R+44
- Bakersville, NC R+59
- Lillydale, TN R+64
- Unaka Springs, TN R+69
- Rock Creek, TN R+64
- Erwin, TN R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Leighton, LA R+19
- Joyce, LA R+87
- Goodwater, OK R+75
- Higgins, TX R+84
- Rochelle, TX R+78
- East Troy, ME R+34
- Browning, MO R+72
- Thessalia, VA R+64
- Nemo, SD R+54
- Harvard, ID R+61
All Local Stats
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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.