Capitola leans heavily Democratic by roughly 50 points: about 75% of voters vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Capitola typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Capitola, ~55% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Capitola compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Capitola leans more Democratic than 36 of 41 neighbors.
Capitola runs about 29 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Capitola. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+54) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+42), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Capitola 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 Capitola, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 94% of residents in Capitola live in densely developed areas, about 57 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Capitola sits in the top quarter (about 48%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Capitola have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Capitola, CA sits in the top tenth 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 Capitola looks the way it does
Turnout in Capitola 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 Cities
- Soquel, CA D+44
- Santa Cruz, CA D+62
- Aptos, CA D+42
- Rio del Mar, CA D+43
- Scotts Valley, CA D+42
- La Selva Beach, CA D+52
- Mount Hermon, CA D+46
- Corralitos, CA D+36
- Felton, CA D+39
- Ben Lomond, CA D+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- Suncook, NH R+4
- Sleepy Hollow, NY D+30
- Flossmoor, IL D+72
- Orient, OH R+26
- Scotchtown, NY D+22
- Edinboro, PA Even
- Ware, MA R+5
- Sparta, NJ R+18
- Waggaman, LA D+42
- Hoquiam, WA R+5
All Local Stats
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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.