Downey leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Downey typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downey, ~32% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downey compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Downey leans more Republican than 26 of 55 neighbors.
Downey runs about 14 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Downey. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+22), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Downey 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 Downey, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 77% of households in Downey are family households, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Downey, IA sits in the top quarter nationally 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 Downey looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Downey 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Downey have completed high school, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- West Branch, IA R+26
- West Liberty, IA R+7
- Oasis, IA R+11
- Springdale, IA R+37
- Lone Tree, IA R+22
- Iowa City, IA D+48
- Hills, IA R+5
- University Heights, IA D+61
- Morse, IA D+6
- Nichols, IA R+35
Cities with Similar Populations
- Park View, WV R+60
- Thayer Corners, NY R+36
- Lake Margrethe, MI R+35
- Pekin Heights, IL R+49
- York, IN R+45
- Sanborn, WI R+37
- Roxalana, WV R+61
- Royal, FL R+38
- Rockport Colony, SD R+72
- Rockville, UT R+58
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.