Wards leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Wards typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Wards, ~22% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Wards compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Wards leans more Republican than 43 of 59 neighbors.
Wards runs about 40 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Wards. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+25), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Wards 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 Wards, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 92% of residents in Wards drive to work alone, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Wards sits in the bottom quarter (about 10%, below 93% of cities).
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Wards, NC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Wards looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Wards 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.
Nearby Cities
- Chadbourn, NC R+25
- Williamson Crossroads, NC R+31
- Grist, NC D+22
- Emerson, NC R+26
- Clarendon, NC R+66
- Cerro Gordo, NC R+50
- Brunswick, NC R+17
- Cherry Grove, NC R+52
- Whiteville, NC R+23
- Ironhill, NC R+45
Cities with Similar Populations
- Frederick, SD R+58
- Mount Vernon Springs, NC R+36
- Ringwood, NC D+65
- Toolville, CA R+64
- Ellery, IL R+70
- Lamar, OK R+70
- Rosslyn Farms, PA D+16
- Viola, TN R+72
- Rumsey, KY R+60
- Long Bridge, LA R+27
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board of 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.