Santa Maria leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 43% of adults in Santa Maria typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Maria, ~24% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Maria compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santa Maria leans more Democratic than 19 of 23 neighbors.
Santa Maria runs about 10 points more Republican than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santa Maria. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+4), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Santa Maria 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 Maria, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 90% of residents in Santa Maria live in densely developed areas, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 44% of adults in Santa Maria have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Santa Maria, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Santa Maria looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Santa Maria 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 23%, about 12 points above the California average of 10%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 49% of households in Santa Maria rent, compared to around 25% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 32% of adults in Santa Maria report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Midco, CA R+20
- Orcutt, CA R+8
- Nipomo, CA R+10
- Guadalupe, CA D+15
- Garey, CA R+30
- Casmalia, CA D+4
- Los Berros, CA R+19
- Huasna, CA R+22
- Sisquoc, CA R+26
- Arroyo Grande, CA D+3
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bowling Green, KY R+11
- Sparks, NV Even
- Norcross, GA D+31
- Costa Mesa, CA D+8
- Peoria, IL D+31
- Broomfield, CO D+22
- Longmont, CO D+32
- Hillsboro, OR D+30
- Lehigh Acres, FL R+6
- Downey, CA D+23
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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.