Scotch Plains, NJ Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Scotch Plains

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Scotch Plains leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.

 

About 89% of adults in Scotch Plains typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Scotch Plains, ~55% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Scotch Plains compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Scotch Plains leans more Democratic than 205 of 255 neighbors.

Scotch Plains runs about 18 points more Democratic than New Jersey as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Scotch Plains. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+32) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+12), a spread of about 19 points.

Why Scotch Plains 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 Scotch Plains, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 90% of residents in Scotch Plains live in densely developed areas, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Scotch Plains sits in the top quarter (about 67%, above 98% of cities).

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Scotch Plains, NJ sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.

Why turnout in Scotch Plains looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Scotch Plains is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Scotch Plains have completed high school, above 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey Division of 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.