Olema leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Olema typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Olema, ~41% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Olema compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Olema leans more Democratic than 18 of 47 neighbors.
Olema runs about 23 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Olema 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 Olema, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 35% of adults in Olema hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Olema, CA sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Olema looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 78% of households in Olema rent, about 53 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Olema sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tocaloma, CA D+43
- Point Reyes Station, CA D+46
- Lagunitas, CA D+63
- Forest Knolls, CA D+60
- Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, CA D+60
- Nicasio, CA D+47
- Inverness, CA D+60
- San Geronimo, CA D+51
- Marshall, CA D+36
- Woodacre, CA D+52
Cities with Similar Populations
- Monument, KS R+79
- Montpelier, KY R+70
- Peth, NY R+33
- Merrilville, NY R+14
- Hazelhurst, IL R+46
- North Harpersfield, NY R+29
- Peppertown, IN R+63
- Lawrence, UT R+71
- Meadow Creek, WV R+57
- Redwood Terrace, CA D+51
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.