Sumter, SC Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Sumter

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Sumter leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.

 

About 70% of adults in Sumter typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sumter, ~37% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Sumter compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Sumter leans more Democratic than 16 of 43 neighbors.

Sumter runs about 24 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Sumter is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sumter. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+55) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+21), a spread of about 76 points.

Why Sumter 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 Sumter, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Sumter is about 46%, about 26 points below the U.S. average of 72%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in Sumter have never been married, above 85% of cities. Sumter runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Sumter, SC sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in Sumter looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Sumter is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.