Grimes leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 50% of adults in Grimes typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Grimes, ~17% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Grimes compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Grimes leans more Republican than 17 of 30 neighbors.
Grimes runs about 54 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Grimes is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Grimes. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+49) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+31), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Grimes 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 Grimes, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Grimes votes against the grain of California. California leans Democratic overall, while Grimes runs about 54 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Grimes sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 4%, below 86% of cities). Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Grimes sits in the bottom quarter (about 9%, below 94% of cities).
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Grimes, CA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Grimes looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Grimes is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 43% of households in Grimes rent, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in Grimes report food insecurity, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sycamore, CA R+41
- Meridian, CA R+49
- Arbuckle, CA R+19
- Sutter, CA R+47
- Colusa, CA R+26
- Kirkville, CA R+39
- Dunnigan, CA R+19
- Williams, CA R+5
- Yuba City, CA R+20
- Pennington, CA R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Point Washington, FL R+62
- Thornwell, LA R+82
- Moorhead, IA R+48
- North Bergen, NY R+43
- Torres, CO R+44
- Vroman, CO R+18
- Cecil-Bishop, PA R+20
- Jones Creek, VA R+15
- Jacksonville, OH R+39
- Purcell, MO R+70
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.