Clifton leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Clifton typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clifton, ~23% vote Democratic, ~66% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clifton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Clifton leans more Republican than 30 of 68 neighbors.
Clifton runs about 59 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Clifton is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Clifton. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+63) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+45), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Clifton 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 Clifton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Clifton drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Clifton runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Clifton, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Clifton looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Clifton is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Clifton have completed high school, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ashkum, IL R+58
- Chebanse, IL R+49
- L'Erable, IL R+60
- Sugar Island, IL R+49
- Sammons Point, IL R+40
- Otto, IL R+40
- Irwin, IL R+47
- Danforth, IL R+59
- Martinton, IL R+52
- La Hogue, IL R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Penrose, NC R+24
- Birch Tree, MO R+70
- Jenkins, KY R+67
- Chippewa Lake, OH R+33
- Kingsley, IA R+49
- St. Lawrence, PA R+7
- Seven Hills, AL R+63
- Lacygne, KS R+58
- Sligo, PA R+63
- Smith Center, KS R+68
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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.