Wadmalaw Island leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Wadmalaw Island typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wadmalaw Island, ~46% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wadmalaw Island compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wadmalaw Island leans more Democratic than 25 of 32 neighbors.
Wadmalaw Island runs about 32 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Wadmalaw Island is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wadmalaw Island. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+21) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+5), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Wadmalaw Island 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 Wadmalaw Island, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 47% of adults in Wadmalaw Island hold a bachelor's degree, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Wadmalaw Island runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Wadmalaw Island, SC sits above the national average on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Wadmalaw Island looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Wadmalaw Island is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Wadmalaw Island own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Yonges Island, SC D+6
- Rockville, SC D+5
- Legareville, SC D+3
- Seabrook Island, SC R+8
- Meggett, SC D+2
- Hollywood, SC Even
- Kiawah Island, SC R+6
- Fenwick Hills, SC Even
- Johns Island, SC R+6
- Rantowles, SC D+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Singer, LA R+82
- Milton, KY R+58
- Nehalem, OR D+14
- Belle, MO R+62
- Marmaduke, AR R+66
- Tuxedo Park, NY Even
- Boomer, NC R+59
- Eagle, NE R+45
- Panora, IA R+37
- Simsboro, LA R+29
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.