Participation measured against the same-year citizen voting-age population. Audited cycles count total general-election participants — ballots or participating voters, not presidential candidate votes. Cycles before 2016 predate that series and are derived from the certified presidential returns instead; they are marked everywhere they appear and are excluded from the figures below.
2004–20206 cycles · 3 audited
2020 turnout
80.0%36,729 participants ÷ 45,899 CVAP
2016→2018 drop-off
+12.3 ptsVolatile
Drop-off vs state
+2.0 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
Participation by cycle
Presidential Midterm Derived, pre-2016
0%20%40%60%80%
62.4%
200420082012201620182020
Select a presidential cycle to show it on the map and results ledger above.
Cycle
Participants
CVAP
Turnout
Series
Quality
36,729
45,899 ± 1,107
80.0%
Audited
E/A
2018Mid
28,664
45,915 ± 925
62.4%
Audited
E/A
34,090
45,643 ± 932
74.7%
Audited
E/A
32,907
44,641
73.7%
Derived
—
34,003
42,863
79.3%
Derived
—
31,812
41,085 extrapolated
77.4%
Derived
—
Sources and methods
Audited cycles (2016, 2018, 2020) count total general-election participants against the same-year CVAP special tabulation, each cell carrying its own numerator and denominator quality grade. Derived cycles (2004, 2008, 2012) come from the certified presidential returns on this page over the ACS 5-year CVAP series, so they measure presidential votes cast rather than ballots — a floor on participation. Where a derived cycle predates the ACS its denominator is extrapolated rather than read, and says so on its own line below. They are shown for the longer arc and are excluded from the drop-off, excess-drop-off, and 2026 scenario figures above.
2020: numerator source 160, denominator source 157; estimated total ballots; preferred-county:block-reference-presidential-or-cvap-weight:v2; allocation share 100.0%; series 321/4.
2018: numerator source 160, denominator source 157; estimated total ballots; preferred-county:block-reference-presidential-or-cvap-weight:v2; allocation share 100.0%; series 320/139.
2016: numerator source 160, denominator source 157; estimated total ballots; preferred-county:block-reference-presidential-or-cvap-weight:v2; allocation share 100.0%; series 319/133.
2012 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
2008 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
2004 (derived): Certified presidential returns · extrapolated CVAP denominator; presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count; 2004 predates the ACS, so the denominator is a linear back-extrapolation from the 2008 and 2012 CVAP values, not a read figure.
presidential history
Party record book
West Hartford, CT · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
2004–2024 · 6 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
75.2%
27,298 votes · D+51.9
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 74.1%
Republican
George W. Bush2004
35.2%
11,195 votes · D+28.2
Runner-up · Mitt Romney, 2012 · 32.8%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
27,298votes
75.2% of the vote · D+51.9
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 26,254 votes
Republican
George W. Bush2004
11,195votes
35.2% of the vote · D+28.2
Runner-up · Mitt Romney, 2012 · 10,780 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Kamala Harris2024
+51.6pts D vs U.S.
Place D+50.1 · U.S. R+1.5
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · +47.5 pts
Republican
Mitt Romney2012
−29.4pts R vs U.S.
Place D+33.3 · U.S. D+3.9
Runner-up · George W. Bush, 2004 · −30.7 pts
U.S. House elections · 2 House
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
West Hartford · Akashic carries this place’s presidential nominating contests, but not at this place’s own grain.
Connecticut’s presidential primary returns are aggregated to the eight counties retired as county-equivalents in 2022. Akashic publishes the nine planning regions that replaced them, and their boundaries cross the old county lines. The presidential record elsewhere on this page crosses that boundary because a general-election county row carries each party’s votes, and votes can be apportioned and disclosed as an estimate. A primary county row carries a leader and a lead over the runner-up and nothing else: there is no per-candidate vote to apportion, and who led is not a quantity that can be weighted. So the record is complete and published — at Connecticut’s state contest, not at this grain. See Connecticut’s Democratic presidential primary.
West Hartford is one of Connecticut's most-educated municipalities, with a large share of professional households that have tilted its margins decisively in recent statewide cycles. Its town-center density sets it apart from surrounding suburban towns.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 51.9 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 50.1 points.
A population of 63,620, a 69% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $129,890 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Arlington and Brighton.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, West Hartford, Connecticut voted Democratic by 50.1 points (D+50.1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 35,447 votes cast, 26,254 went Democratic and 8,494 went Republican.
How many people live in West Hartford, Connecticut?
West Hartford, Connecticut has a population of 63,620 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in West Hartford, Connecticut?
Median household income in West Hartford, Connecticut is $129,890 — above the national median of $80,734. The Connecticut state median is $95,781.
What is the political history of West Hartford, Connecticut?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in West Hartford, Connecticut from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
