Indian Wells is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Indian Wells typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Indian Wells, ~37% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Indian Wells compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Indian Wells leans more Republican than 23 of 29 neighbors.
Indian Wells runs about 23 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Indian Wells is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Indian Wells. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+7) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+11), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Indian Wells 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 Indian Wells, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Indian Wells votes against the grain of California. California leans Democratic overall, while Indian Wells runs about 23 points more Republican.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Indian Wells, CA 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 Indian Wells looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Indian Wells 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 73%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Indian Wells have completed high school, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Palm Desert, CA D+5
- La Quinta, CA Even
- Desert Palms, CA D+6
- Indio, CA D+8
- Rancho Mirage, CA D+15
- Thousand Palms, CA D+8
- Valerie, CA D+13
- Vista Santa Rosa, CA D+9
- Coachella, CA D+22
- Cathedral City, CA D+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Franksville, WI R+26
- Johnson, AR R+8
- Clear Spring, MD R+62
- Louisville, GA D+23
- Shannon Hills, AR R+15
- Whiskey Creek, FL R+22
- Afton, TN R+69
- Beauxart Gardens, TX D+19
- Pine Grove, CA R+29
- Boylston, MA D+11
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.