Ocotillo Wells leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Ocotillo Wells typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ocotillo Wells, ~15% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ocotillo Wells compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ocotillo Wells leans more Republican than 4 of 5 neighbors.
Ocotillo Wells runs about 49 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Ocotillo Wells is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ocotillo Wells. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+43) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+7), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Ocotillo 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 Ocotillo Wells, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in Ocotillo Wells live in densely developed areas, about 57 points below the California average of 58%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Ocotillo Wells sits in the bottom quarter (about 12%, below 88% of cities). Ocotillo Wells runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; Ocotillo Wells, CA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Ocotillo Wells looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 40% of households in Ocotillo Wells rent, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Borrego Springs, CA R+13
- Salton City, CA R+12
- Ranchita, CA R+25
- Mount Laguna, CA R+33
- Julian, CA R+7
- Pine Hills, CA R+13
- Oasis, CA D+25
- Wynola, CA R+19
- One Hundred Palms, CA D+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Doyon, ND R+47
- East Stanwood, WA R+23
- Excelsior, WI R+27
- Fairmount, MD R+37
- Devault, PA D+17
- Fentress, MS R+34
- El Ancon, NM D+8
- Felton, AR D+7
- Garden City, LA Even
- Glen Cove, WA D+58
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.