Heartside-Downtown is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Heartside-Downtown typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Heartside-Downtown, ~46% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Heartside-Downtown compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Heartside-Downtown leans more Democratic than 12 of 19 neighbors.
Heartside-Downtown runs about 56 points more Democratic than Michigan as a whole. Michigan is roughly evenly split, and Heartside-Downtown sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Heartside-Downtown. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+60) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+43), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Heartside-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 Heartside-Downtown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Heartside-Downtown votes against the grain of Michigan. Michigan is roughly evenly split, while Heartside-Downtown runs about 56 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 59% of adults in Heartside-Downtown have never been married, above 92% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Heartside-Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI 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 Heartside-Downtown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 90% of households in Heartside-Downtown rent, about 65 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in Heartside-Downtown have more than one occupant per room, above 82% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Heartside-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
- Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids, MI D+61
- Swan, Grand Rapids, MI D+45
- Belknap Lookout, Grand Rapids, MI D+50
- East Hills, Grand Rapids, MI D+58
- South East Community, Grand Rapids, MI D+66
- Midtown-Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI D+62
- Madison Area, Grand Rapids, MI D+72
- Highland Park, Grand Rapids, MI D+38
- John Ball Park, Grand Rapids, MI D+31
- Roosevelt Park, Grand Rapids, MI D+39
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Schnitzelburg, Louisville, KY D+53
- Silver Rock, Rockville, MD D+46
- Vista del Norte, Albuquerque, NM D+17
- California, Louisville, KY D+86
- Woodlands Village, Flagstaff, AZ D+38
- Ridgewood, Madison, WI D+58
- Canfield Manor, Mount Clemens, MI D+15
- Via Marina, Oxnard, CA D+25
- Ten Hills, Somerville, MA D+52
- Sunset, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+14
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.