Selma leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Selma typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Selma, ~34% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~38% 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 47 of 57 neighbors.
Selma runs about 28 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Selma is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Selma. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+31) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 30 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.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 43% of adults in Selma have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 27%). Selma runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Developed land and Democratic lean
Places with a heavily developed built environment tend to lean Democratic; Selma, SC sits above the national average on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban 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 45%, about 13 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Dillon, SC D+7
- Hamer, SC R+10
- Minturn, SC D+9
- Oakland Cross Roads, SC Even
- Little Rock, SC D+3
- Riverdale, SC Even
- Latta, SC R+11
- Echo, NC R+18
- Bristow, SC R+42
- Sellers, SC R+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Macksville, WV R+72
- Santo Tomas, NM R+4
- Waverly Woods, IN R+56
- Roanoke Junction, AL R+62
- Lowden, WA R+55
- Counts Crossroads, KY R+61
- Kringsbush, NY R+47
- Westville, NY R+9
- Valley Junction, OR R+26
- Galesburg, ND R+39
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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.