South Dover leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Maine did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 78% of adults in South Dover typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Dover, ~27% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Dover compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Dover leans more Republican than 5 of 61 neighbors.
South Dover runs about 36 points more Republican than Maine as a whole. Maine leans Democratic overall, while South Dover is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Dover. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 14 points.
Why South Dover 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 South Dover, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
South Dover votes against the grain of Maine. Maine leans Democratic overall, while South Dover runs about 36 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in South Dover are family households, above 78% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; South Dover, ME sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in South Dover looks the way it does
Turnout in South Dover 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 Cities
- East Dover, ME R+32
- Atkinson Mills, ME R+42
- West Charleston, ME R+38
- Dover Foxcroft, ME R+28
- Dover South Mills, ME R+32
- South Sebec, ME R+40
- Charleston, ME R+37
- Garland, ME R+41
- Sebec, ME R+39
- Sangerville, ME R+38
Cities with Similar Populations
- Amigo, WV R+69
- Witten, SD R+71
- Granite, CO R+8
- Franklin Depot, NY R+29
- Fredonia, AR R+54
- Freedom, KY R+73
- Stovertown, OH R+59
- Caborn, IN R+47
- Bullock Creek, MI R+26
- Samaria, NC R+46
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations Elections and Commissions, 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. ME did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.