Helena West Side leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 87% of adults in Helena West Side typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Helena West Side, ~50% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~13% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Helena West Side compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Helena West Side leans more Democratic than 17 of 18 neighbors.
Helena West Side runs about 34 points more Democratic than Montana as a whole. Montana leans Republican overall, while Helena West Side is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Helena West Side. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+26) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+13), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Helena West Side 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 Helena West Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 56% of residents in Helena West Side live in densely developed areas, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Helena West Side sits in the top quarter (about 49%, above 93% of cities). Helena West Side runs against the grain of Montana, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Helena West Side, MT sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Helena West Side looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Helena West Side 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Helena, MT D+17
- Fort Harrison, MT R+15
- Helena Valley West Central, MT R+16
- Helena Valley Southeast, MT R+35
- Helena Valley Northeast, MT R+37
- Clancy, MT R+26
- Montana City, MT R+28
- Helena Valley Northwest, MT R+38
- Rimini, MT R+16
- East Helena, MT R+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- South Fork, PA R+49
- Nortonville, KY R+61
- Churchville, VA R+51
- Selma, IN R+48
- Vanderbilt, PA R+49
- Hastings, NY R+38
- Foreston, MN R+53
- Elbridge, NY R+24
- Walnut Grove, GA R+53
- Nashwauk, MN R+24
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Montana 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.