Downs leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Downs typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downs, ~30% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downs compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Downs leans more Republican than 5 of 54 neighbors.
Downs runs about 43 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Downs is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Downs. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Downs 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 Downs, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Downs votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Downs runs about 43 points more Republican.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Downs, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Downs looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Downs 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Downs have completed high school, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Holder, IL R+30
- Randolph, IL R+34
- Padua, IL R+40
- Bloomington, IL D+11
- Heyworth, IL R+38
- Le Roy, IL R+35
- Ellsworth, IL R+45
- Shirley, IL R+22
- Normal, IL D+23
- Sabina, IL R+48
Cities with Similar Populations
- Thaxton, MS R+83
- Weldon, NC D+58
- East Dennis, MA D+12
- Leeds, MA D+68
- Kansas, OK R+61
- Rhoadesville, VA R+51
- Burns Flat, OK R+68
- Benton, MS R+37
- Bovey, MN R+28
- Sunapee, NH D+9
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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.