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
65.5%30,125 participants ÷ 45,978 CVAP
2016→2018 drop-off
+8.7 ptsVolatile
Drop-off vs state
-1.6 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
Participation by cycle
Presidential Midterm Derived, pre-2016
0%20%40%60%80%
49.2%
200420082012201620182020
Select a presidential cycle to show it on the map and results ledger above.
Cycle
Participants
CVAP
Turnout
Series
Quality
30,125
45,978 ± 1,166
65.5%
Audited
E/A
2018Mid
22,739
46,222 ± 1,147
49.2%
Audited
E/A
27,007
46,669 ± 1,132
57.9%
Audited
E/A
25,168
45,016
55.9%
Derived
—
26,465
45,053
58.7%
Derived
—
25,705
45,090 extrapolated
57.0%
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
Bristol, 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
Barack Obama2008
60.0%
15,882 votes · D+21.6
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 58.0%
Republican
Donald Trump2024
49.5%
14,218 votes · R+0.3
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2016 · 48.2%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
15,882votes
60.0% of the vote · D+21.6
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · 15,462 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
14,218votes
49.5% of the vote · R+0.3
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 13,834 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
Barack Obama2008
+14.3pts D vs U.S.
Place D+21.6 · U.S. D+7.3
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · +13.4 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2016
+3.0pts R vs U.S.
Place R+1.0 · U.S. D+2.1
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · −1.0 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.
Bristol · 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.
Bristol's legacy in precision manufacturing and clock-making left a dense working-class electorate that has historically swung competitive in statewide races, making it a reliable bellwether for Connecticut's industrial corridor.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 21.6 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 1.0 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 5.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 0.3 points.
A population of 61,462, a 65% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $79,076 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Norwich and Chicopee.
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, Bristol, Connecticut voted a near-tie (R+0.3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 28,718 votes cast, 14,125 went Democratic and 14,218 went Republican.
When did Bristol, Connecticut last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Bristol, Connecticut voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Bristol, Connecticut?
Bristol, Connecticut has a population of 61,462 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Bristol, Connecticut?
Median household income in Bristol, Connecticut is $79,076 — below the national median of $80,734. The Connecticut state median is $95,781.
What is the political history of Bristol, Connecticut?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Bristol, Connecticut from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 2 went Republican.
