Mad River leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Mad River typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mad River, ~18% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mad River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mad River leans more Republican than 19 of 20 neighbors.
Mad River runs about 40 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Mad River is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mad River. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+22) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Mad River 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 Mad River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 2% of residents in Mad River live in densely developed areas, about 55 points below the California average of 58%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Mad River sits in the bottom quarter (about 9%, below 94% of cities). Mad River runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Mad River, CA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Mad River looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 40% of households in Mad River rent, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in Mad River report food insecurity, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Dinsmore, CA R+16
- Ruth, CA R+19
- Bridgeville, CA R+19
- Forest Glen, CA R+9
- Blocksburg, CA D+7
- Hyampom, CA R+17
- Peanut, CA R+4
- Fort Seward, CA D+9
- Hayfork, CA R+7
- Zenia, CA R+21
Cities with Similar Populations
- Oak Hill, MI R+23
- Polvadera, NM R+19
- Mack, MS D+15
- Maple Grove, WI R+51
- Turner, MT R+53
- Red Head, FL R+64
- Knightens Crossroads, AL R+85
- Mabel, FL R+46
- Whitfield, MS R+42
- Coryell, TX R+72
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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.