Santa Ana leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 37% of adults in Santa Ana typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Ana, ~23% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Ana compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santa Ana leans more Democratic than 68 of 102 neighbors.
Politically, Santa Ana sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santa Ana. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+33) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+19), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Santa Ana live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Santa Ana have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Santa Ana, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Santa Ana looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Santa Ana is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 21%, about 11 points above the California average of 10%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 53% of households in Santa Ana rent, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Santa Ana report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tustin, CA D+14
- Fountain Valley, CA R+3
- Garden Grove, CA Even
- Orange, CA D+6
- North Tustin, CA R+9
- Costa Mesa, CA D+8
- Midway City, CA R+8
- Westminster, CA R+5
- Anaheim, CA D+11
- Irvine, CA D+18
Cities with Similar Populations
- Irvine, CA D+18
- Spring, TX R+12
- Reno, NV D+7
- Glendale, AZ D+3
- Lincoln, NE D+11
- Naples, FL R+24
- Newark, NJ D+52
- Durham, NC D+59
- Scottsdale, AZ R+3
- Jersey City, NJ D+46
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.