96085 leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 53% of adults in 96085 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 96085, ~20% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 96085 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 96085 is the least Republican-leaning.
96085 runs about 43 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while 96085 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 96085. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+32) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 17 points.
Why 96085 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 96085, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in 96085 live in densely developed areas, about 55 points below the California average of 58%. 96085 runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; 96085, CA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in 96085 looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 6% of homes in 96085 have more than one occupant per room, above 89% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from California 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.