Selma is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Selma typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Selma, ~52% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Selma compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Selma leans more Democratic than 36 of 45 neighbors.
Selma runs about 83 points more Democratic than Alabama as a whole. Alabama leans Republican overall, while Selma is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Selma. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+82) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 73 points.
Why Selma 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 Selma, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Selma is about 23%, about 49 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in Selma have never been married, above 91% of cities. Selma runs against the grain of Alabama, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Selma, AL sits in the top 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 Selma looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Selma 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 46%, about 7 points below the Alabama average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Selmont-West Selmont, AL D+78
- Valley Grande, AL R+31
- West Selmont, AL D+33
- Potter, AL R+12
- Casey, AL D+36
- Summerfield, AL R+45
- Fremont, AL R+16
- Hazen, AL D+73
- Sardis, AL D+34
- Marion Junction, AL D+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Santa Fe, TX R+56
- Chagrin Falls, OH R+5
- Allston, MA D+67
- Bedford, IN R+47
- Boaz, AL R+71
- Joshua, TX R+59
- Dover, NJ D+11
- Carney, MD D+14
- Willmar, MN R+15
- Laurinburg, NC D+12
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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.