Southside leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Southside typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Southside, ~49% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Southside compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Southside leans more Democratic than 1 of 6 neighbors.
Southside runs about 40 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Southside sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Southside. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+52) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+30), a spread of about 22 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.
Southside votes against the grain of Michigan. Michigan is roughly evenly split, while Southside runs about 40 points more Democratic.
Overall lean vs. state and nation
Southside, Lansing, MI leans Democratic compared with its state and the country.
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
- Old Everett, Lansing, MI D+33
- Forest View, Lansing, MI D+54
- Downtown Lansing, Lansing, MI D+57
- Westside Lansing, Lansing, MI D+54
- Old Town, Lansing, MI D+47
- Eastside Lansing, Lansing, MI D+45
- Northwestside, Lansing, MI D+36
- Bailey, East Lansing, MI D+57
- Abbot, Ann Arbor, MI D+60
- Lakewood, Ann Arbor, MI D+45
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, CA D+57
- Edenvale-Seven Trees, San Jose, CA D+28
- Southeast Boise, Boise, ID D+17
- Riverview West, Santa Ana, CA D+5
- Maspeth, Queens, NY R+8
- Ocean Hill, Brooklyn, NY D+79
- Wolf Creek, Dallas, TX D+72
- River Oaks, Houston, TX D+11
- Kings Bridge, Bronx, NY D+31
- North San Jose, San Jose, CA D+41
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.