West Athens leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Maine did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 85% of adults in West Athens typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Athens, ~30% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How West Athens compares
Among cities within 25 miles, West Athens leans more Republican than 19 of 48 neighbors.
West Athens runs about 37 points more Republican than Maine as a whole. Maine leans Democratic overall, while West Athens is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within West Athens. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+40) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 12 points.
Why West Athens 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 West Athens, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
West Athens votes against the grain of Maine. Maine leans Democratic overall, while West Athens runs about 37 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; West Athens, ME sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in West Athens looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. West Athens 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 59%, below 60% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Solon, ME R+28
- Brighton, ME R+40
- Athens, ME R+37
- North Anson, ME R+33
- Hutchins Corner, ME R+40
- Harmony, ME R+33
- Bingham, ME R+31
- Madison, ME R+24
- Wellington, ME R+42
- Skowhegan, ME R+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Duckwater, NV R+69
- Strauss, KS R+64
- King, WI R+20
- Steelton, WV R+53
- Stover, SC R+15
- Stille, LA R+83
- Nubieber, CA R+44
- Thatcher, ID R+75
- Spivey, KS R+69
- Campaign, TN R+70
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations Elections and Commissions, 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. ME did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.