Merritt is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 42% of adults in Merritt typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Merritt, ~34% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Merritt compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Merritt leans more Democratic than 15 of 63 neighbors.
Merritt runs about 44 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Merritt. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+50), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Merritt 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 Merritt, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 53% of adults in Merritt have never been married, modestly above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 43%).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Merritt, Oakland, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Merritt looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 91% of households in Merritt rent, about 66 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 8% of homes in Merritt have more than one occupant per room, above 88% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Clinton, Oakland, CA D+58
- Cleveland Heights, Oakland, CA D+74
- Lakewide, Oakland, CA D+75
- Rancho San Antonio, Oakland, CA D+50
- Highland Terrace, Oakland, CA D+55
- Adams Point, Oakland, CA D+82
- Downtown Oakland, Oakland, CA D+66
- Old City-Produce and Waterfront, Oakland, CA D+60
- Lynn-Highland Park, Oakland, CA D+62
- Trestle Glen, Oakland, CA D+80
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Sherman Heights, San Diego, CA D+45
- Lakeside, San Antonio, TX D+24
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda, CA D+51
- Downtown, Washington, DC D+71
- Sunbow, Chula Vista, CA D+18
- Beaverdale, Des Moines, IA D+39
- Midway-Coldstream, Baltimore, MD D+85
- Zilker, Austin, TX D+45
- Northeast Durham, Durham, NC D+51
- Central Business District, Kansas City, MO D+51
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.