Southside leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 50% of adults in Southside typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Southside, ~33% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Southside compares
Southside runs about 73 points more Democratic than West Virginia as a whole. West Virginia leans Republican overall, while Southside is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Southside. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+46) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+21), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Southside leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Southside, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Southside live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. Southside runs against the grain of West Virginia, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Southside, Huntington, WV sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Southside looks the way it does
Turnout in Southside 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 Neighborhoods
- West Huntington, Huntington, WV R+13
- Rankin Historic District, Ironton, OH R+24
- 6th Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+46
- 4th Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+25
- 3rd Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+26
- 1st Ward, Portsmouth, OH R+12
- West Side, Charleston, WV D+43
- East End, Charleston, WV D+44
- South Ruffner, Charleston, WV D+24
- Beechwood, Parkersburg, WV R+25
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Frederickson, Tacoma, WA R+3
- Harding, Roseville, CA D+4
- South Westnedge, Kalamazoo, MI D+38
- West Southwest 2, Topeka, KS D+9
- Highland Park, Pittsburgh, PA D+74
- Melrose Manors, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+58
- MIT, Cambridge, MA D+70
- Arlingwood, Jacksonville, FL R+2
- Eagle Point District, Dubuque, IA D+5
- Parkdale-Walden, Kansas City, MO D+8
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.