Waukena leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 28% of adults in Waukena typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waukena, ~7% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~72% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waukena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Waukena leans more Republican than 26 of 29 neighbors.
Waukena runs about 68 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Waukena is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Waukena. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+37), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Waukena 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 Waukena, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waukena votes against the grain of California. California leans Democratic overall, while Waukena runs about 68 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 89% of households in Waukena are family households, in the top fraction of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Waukena, CA sits in the bottom quarter 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 Waukena looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Waukena is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 72% of households in Waukena rent, compared to around 49% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Waukena report food insecurity, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Corcoran, CA D+10
- Tulare, CA R+16
- Guernsey, CA R+57
- Tipton, CA R+7
- Goshen, CA R+33
- Visalia, CA R+17
- Hanford, CA R+15
- Pixley, CA R+9
- Armona, CA R+19
- Farmersville, CA R+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Unalakleet, AK D+33
- Jekyll Island, GA R+36
- Hungerford, TX R+25
- Mayport, PA R+68
- Campbellsport, OH R+34
- Rocky Branch, LA R+88
- Scranton, IA R+55
- Emit, GA R+41
- Stollings, WV R+67
- Oakland, MO R+70
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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.