West Des Moines, IA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in West Des Moines

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

West Des Moines leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.

 

About 83% of adults in West Des Moines typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in West Des Moines, ~48% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How West Des Moines compares

Among cities within 25 miles, West Des Moines leans more Democratic than 62 of 63 neighbors.

West Des Moines runs about 28 points more Democratic than Iowa as a whole. Iowa leans Republican overall, while West Des Moines is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within West Des Moines. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+24) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 18 points.

Why West Des Moines 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 Des Moines, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 89% of residents in West Des Moines live in densely developed areas, about 53 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and West Des Moines sits in the top quarter (about 55%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in West Des Moines have never been married, above 89% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; West Des Moines, IA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.

Why turnout in West Des Moines looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. West Des Moines 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in West Des Moines have completed high school, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.