Westside is a Democratic stronghold. About 87% of voters here vote Democratic and 13% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Westside typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Westside, ~46% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Westside compares
Westside sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
Westside runs about 53 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Westside. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+79) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+56), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Westside 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 Westside, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 59% of adults in Westside hold a bachelor's degree, about 30 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 70% of adults in Westside have never been married, above 98% of neighborhoods.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Westside, Santa Cruz, CA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Westside looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 66% of households in Westside rent, about 41 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Central Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA D+65
- Live Oak, Santa Cruz, CA D+50
- Almaden Valley, San Jose, CA D+27
- Cambrian Park, San Jose, CA D+28
- Blossom Valley, San Jose, CA D+25
- Santa Teresa, San Jose, CA D+26
- West San Jose, San Jose, CA D+31
- Rancho Rinconada, Cupertino, CA D+33
- Willow Glen, San Jose, CA D+37
- Loma Linda, San Jose, CA D+30
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Alden Bridge, The Woodlands, TX R+24
- Park Forest-Louisiana North, Baton Rouge, LA D+45
- Southeast Yonkers, Yonkers, NY D+11
- Chatham, Chicago, IL D+85
- Merrlam Park, St. Paul, MN D+65
- Cascade Heights, Atlanta, GA D+87
- Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY D+75
- South Southwest, San Antonio, TX D+21
- Jefferson, Cleveland, OH D+23
- Kaimuki, Honolulu, HI D+32
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.