Charleston leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Charleston typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Charleston, ~27% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Charleston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Charleston is the least Republican-leaning.
Charleston runs about 20 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Charleston is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Charleston. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+27) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+44), a spread of about 71 points.
Why Charleston 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 Charleston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Charleston votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 60%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Charleston runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Charleston, IL does.
Why turnout in Charleston looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 45% of households in Charleston rent, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Loxa, IL R+45
- Hutton, IL R+59
- Lerna, IL R+56
- Ashmore, IL R+55
- Janesville, IL R+60
- Rardin, IL R+55
- Maple Point, IL R+62
- Westfield, IL R+53
- Mattoon, IL R+33
- Oilfield, IL R+62
Cities with Similar Populations
- Old Jamestown, MO D+64
- East Amherst, NY D+6
- Homewood, IL D+60
- Radford, VA R+7
- Hatfield, PA D+5
- Bayou Cane, LA R+47
- Riverton, NJ D+10
- Caldwell, NJ Even
- Mead Valley, CA Even
- Greenfield, CA D+28
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.