Downtown is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 42% of adults in Downtown typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown, ~34% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown leans more Democratic than 9 of 26 neighbors.
Downtown runs about 62 points more Democratic than Georgia as a whole. Georgia is roughly evenly split, and Downtown sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+79) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+43), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Downtown leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Downtown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Downtown live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Downtown sits in the top quarter (about 62%, above 83% of neighborhoods). Downtown runs against the grain of Georgia, a Democratic-leaning outlier in a roughly evenly split state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Downtown, Atlanta, GA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Downtown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 79% of households in Downtown rent, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Downtown sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Vine City, Atlanta, GA D+78
- Five Points, Atlanta, GA D+76
- Midtown Atlanta, Atlanta, GA D+56
- Sweet Auburn, Atlanta, GA D+72
- Home Park, Atlanta, GA D+60
- Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta, GA D+59
- University Center, Atlanta, GA D+88
- West End, Atlanta, GA D+85
- Mechanicsville, Atlanta, GA D+80
- Poncey-Highland, Atlanta, GA D+67
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Central West End, St. Louis, MO D+69
- Ellsworth, Elmwood Park, IL D+7
- Pleasure Ridge Park, Louisville, KY R+2
- Sunset Hill, Seattle, WA D+70
- Asia on Argyle, Chicago, IL D+73
- Original Town, Carrollton, TX D+13
- Grogan's Mill, The Woodlands, TX R+8
- Liberty Heights, Springfield, MA D+34
- Centralville, Lowell, MA D+20
- West of Twin Peaks, San Francisco, CA D+62
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Georgia Elections Division, 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.