Russell County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Russell County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Russell County, ~33% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Russell County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Russell County leans more Democratic than 12 of 17 neighbors.
Russell County runs about 37 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while Russell County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Russell County. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+69) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+49), a spread of about 118 points.
Why Russell 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 Russell County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Russell County is about 43%, about 29 points below the U.S. average of 72%. Russell County runs against the grain of Alabama, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Russell County, AL sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Russell County looks the way it does
Turnout in Russell County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Muscogee County, GA D+25
- Chattahoochee County, GA R+14
- Lee County, AL R+13
- Harris County, GA R+45
- Stewart County, GA D+12
- Marion County, GA R+29
- Chambers County, AL R+13
- Talbot County, GA D+12
- Webster County, GA R+16
- Macon County, AL D+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Blount County, AL R+79
- Lyon County, NV R+42
- Sampson County, NC R+26
- Sandusky County, OH R+33
- Lowndes County, MS Even
- Van Zandt County, TX R+72
- Autauga County, AL R+41
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK R+27
- Lincoln County, MO R+51
- Mercer County, WV R+50
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alabama 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.