Beardstown leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Beardstown typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Beardstown, ~24% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Beardstown compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Beardstown leans more Republican than 1 of 52 neighbors.
Beardstown runs about 24 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Beardstown is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Beardstown. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+4) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+40), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Beardstown 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 Beardstown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Beardstown votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 65%, far above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Beardstown runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Beardstown, IL sits below the national average on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Beardstown looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Beardstown is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 30% of households in Beardstown rent, above 84% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Beardstown report food insecurity, above 86% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Frederick, IL R+51
- Bluff Springs, IL R+51
- Arenzville, IL R+53
- Rushville, IL R+40
- Cooperstown, IL R+60
- Browning, IL R+55
- Ripley, IL R+54
- Virginia, IL R+51
- Snicarte, IL R+55
- Versailles, IL R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Macon, MO R+47
- Lansing, NY D+41
- Violet, LA D+25
- Elsmere, DE D+28
- Wellsboro, PA R+35
- Richland, MS R+42
- Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH R+12
- Plaistow, NH D+3
- Zelienople, PA R+22
- Decatur, TN R+72
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Illinois State Board of 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.