Merle Hay leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Merle Hay typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Merle Hay, ~48% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Merle Hay compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Merle Hay leans more Democratic than 5 of 11 neighbors.
Merle Hay runs about 38 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while Merle Hay is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Merle Hay. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+29) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+16), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Merle Hay 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 Merle Hay, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Merle Hay live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. Merle Hay runs against the grain of Iowa, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA sits above the national average 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 Merle Hay looks the way it does
Turnout in Merle Hay 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 Neighborhoods
- Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA D+39
- Meredith, Des Moines, IA D+17
- Lower Beaver, Des Moines, IA D+23
- Drake, Des Moines, IA D+50
- Oak Park, Des Moines, IA D+27
- River Bend, Des Moines, IA D+45
- Downtown Des Moines, Des Moines, IA D+53
- Highland Park, Des Moines, IA D+19
- Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA D+33
- Union Park, Des Moines, IA D+15
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown Elizabeth, Elizabeth, NJ D+27
- College Glen, Sacramento, CA D+31
- Rose Park, Salt Lake City, UT D+30
- East Raleigh, Raleigh, NC D+64
- Riverside, Baltimore, MD D+64
- Indiana University, Bloomington, IN D+60
- Lakeview-Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA D+25
- Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill, Portland, OR D+68
- City College Area, Long Beach, CA D+18
- Moreno Mission, San Diego, CA D+40
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.