Santa Maria is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.
About 41% of adults in Santa Maria typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Maria, ~20% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~59% 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 Republican than 15 of 53 neighbors.
Santa Maria runs about 11 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole.
Why Santa Maria leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Santa Maria. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Santa Maria, TX does.
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 dental-visit rate here is about 38%, about 15 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 44% of adults in Santa Maria have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Santa Maria sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bluetown, TX Even
- Relampago, TX R+11
- La Feria, TX R+4
- Rangerville, TX R+17
- Solis, TX R+11
- Los Indios, TX R+8
- Progreso, TX R+7
- Mercedes, TX Even
- Progreso Lakes, TX R+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- White Oak, GA R+52
- Mount Calvary, WI R+51
- Grovertown, IN R+56
- Millwood, GA R+86
- Marietta, MS R+86
- Potlatch, ID R+52
- North Pekin, IL R+31
- Tuckasegee, NC R+31
- Galena, MD R+30
- Pine Level, AL R+64
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.