South East is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 64% of adults in South East typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South East, ~50% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South East compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South East leans more Democratic than 9 of 10 neighbors.
South East runs about 36 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South East. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+62) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+51), a spread of about 11 points.
Why South East leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for South East, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 65% of adults in South East hold a bachelor's degree, about 37 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting, and non-Hispanic white share in South East is about 38%, about 34 points below the U.S. average of 72%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; South East, Pasadena, CA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in South East looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South East 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Mid Central, Pasadena, CA D+51
- East Central, Pasadena, CA D+42
- North East, Pasadena, CA D+24
- West Central, Pasadena, CA D+54
- East San Gabriel, San Gabriel, CA D+20
- Madison Heights, Pasadena, CA D+65
- Normandie Heights, Pasadena, CA D+55
- North Central, Pasadena, CA D+51
- South Arroyo, Pasadena, CA D+55
- North Arroyo, Pasadena, CA D+41
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Avenues West, Milwaukee, WI D+52
- West University Austin, Austin, TX D+57
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ D+63
- College Point, Queens, NY R+6
- Taku-Campbell, Anchorage, AK D+21
- Lower Northwood, Baltimore, MD D+84
- Logan, Spokane, WA D+30
- Drake, Des Moines, IA D+50
- West Bench, Boise, ID D+4
- Riverside, Cambridge, MA D+78
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.