Merriman Valley leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Merriman Valley typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Merriman Valley, ~47% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Merriman Valley compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Merriman Valley leans more Democratic than 5 of 12 neighbors.
Merriman Valley runs about 42 points more Democratic than Ohio as a whole. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Merriman Valley is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Merriman Valley. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+45) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+15), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Merriman Valley 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 Merriman Valley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Merriman Valley votes against the grain of Ohio. Ohio leans Republican overall, while Merriman Valley runs about 42 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Merriman Valley have never been married, above 82% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Merriman Valley, Akron, OH 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 Merriman Valley looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Merriman Valley 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Northwest Akron, Akron, OH D+42
- Wallhaven, Akron, OH D+46
- Highland Square, Akron, OH D+48
- North Hill, Akron, OH D+27
- West Village, Cuyahoga Falls, OH D+6
- Elizabeth Park Valley, Akron, OH D+46
- North Village, Cuyahoga Falls, OH D+7
- West Akron, Akron, OH D+76
- East Village, Cuyahoga Falls, OH D+7
- Chapel Hill, Akron, OH D+20
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Brookline Village Commercial District, Brookline, MA D+76
- West Central, Spokane, WA D+32
- Roseville, San Diego, CA D+30
- Rancho del Rey, Chula Vista, CA D+15
- Roosevelt-San Francisco, Redwood City, CA D+54
- Longfellow, Emeryville, CA D+80
- Mustang-Padre Island, Corpus Christi, TX R+38
- Washington, Huntington Beach, CA D+5
- North Center, Chicago, IL D+67
- Sunbeam, Jacksonville, FL R+11
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.