The area produced strong results for both the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Conservatives prior to the boundary changes but, since the changes, it has been politically split between the SNP, the Conservatives and Labour with each party holding one seat at each subsequent election.

The ward was created following the Fourth Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements ahead of the 2007 Scottish local elections.

As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, local elections in Scotland would use the single transferable vote electoral system from 2007 onwards so Ayr East was formed from an amalgamation of several previous first-past-the-post wards.

The ward centres on the eastern portion of the town of Ayr which is situated on the Firth of Clyde coast in the northwest of the council area.

It originally contained everything in the town south of the River Ayr, east of Carrick Road/Monument Road and north of the Rozelle Estate.