Independence leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Independence typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Independence, ~19% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Independence compares
Independence sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable cities nearby.
Independence runs about 39 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Independence is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Independence 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 Independence, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in Independence live in densely developed areas, about 58 points below the California average of 58%. Independence runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Independence, CA does.
Why turnout in Independence looks the way it does
Turnout in Independence sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lone Pine, CA R+5
- Big Pine, CA R+12
- Kings Canyon National Pk, CA R+55
- Keough Hot Springs, CA R+11
- Olancha, CA R+19
- Bishop, CA Even
- Hume, CA R+55
- Laws, CA R+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Saratoga, IN R+61
- Sycamore, DE R+49
- Ulah, IL R+36
- Pleasant Ridge, TX R+75
- Weaver, TX R+78
- Maxwelton, WV R+52
- Merom, IN R+56
- Claflin, KS R+75
- Velpen, IN R+57
- Florida, MA R+7
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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.