Santee leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Santee typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santee, ~44% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santee compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santee leans more Democratic than 28 of 38 neighbors.
Santee runs about 38 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Santee is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santee. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+72) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+45), a spread of about 118 points.
Why Santee 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 Santee, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Santee votes against the grain of South Carolina. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Santee runs about 38 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Santee have never been married, above 87% of cities.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Santee, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Santee looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Santee 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 57%, below 69% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Vance, SC D+33
- Elloree, SC D+10
- Felderville, SC R+12
- Lone Star, SC R+20
- St. Paul, SC D+38
- Holly Hill, SC D+33
- Summerton, SC R+2
- Eutawville, SC D+16
- Bowman, SC D+19
- Creston, SC R+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- York Springs, PA R+47
- Williamsburg, IA R+35
- Decatur, MS R+40
- Lansford, PA R+25
- Mertztown, PA R+35
- Juno Beach, FL R+32
- Leonardo, NJ R+22
- Lake Mathews, CA R+30
- Soap Lake, WA R+47
- Winterport, ME Even
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.