Death Valley leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 35% of adults in Death Valley typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Death Valley, ~20% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~65% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Death Valley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Death Valley leans more Democratic than 1 of 3 neighbors.
Death Valley runs about 4 points more Republican than California as a whole.
Why Death Valley 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 Death Valley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in Death Valley hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 47% of adults in Death Valley have never been married, above 97% of cities.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Death Valley, CA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Death Valley looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 72% of households in Death Valley rent, about 47 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 11% of homes in Death Valley have more than one occupant per room, above 97% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Death Valley sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Death Valley Junction, CA D+16
- Amargosa Valley, NV R+36
- Beatty, NV R+42
- Rhyolite, NV R+42
- Darwin, CA R+11
- Johnnie, NV R+43
- Pahrump, NV R+39
- Trona, CA R+28
- Searles Valley, CA R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- Abie, NE R+63
- Luella, TX R+72
- Hood, TX R+80
- Horse Creek, CA R+27
- Rodemer, WV R+68
- Swedona, IL R+37
- Neff, OK R+69
- Paynesville, MI R+24
- Lamont, WA R+75
- Forest Hill, MS D+36
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.