East Alton leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 68% of adults in East Alton typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Alton, ~27% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Alton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, East Alton leans more Republican than 92 of 156 neighbors.
East Alton runs about 31 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while East Alton is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within East Alton. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+30) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+16), a spread of about 13 points.
Why East Alton 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 East Alton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
East Alton votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 85%, far above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. East Alton runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; East Alton, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in East Alton looks the way it does
Turnout in East Alton sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rosewood Heights, IL R+30
- Wood River, IL R+20
- Cottage Hills, IL R+24
- Roxana, IL R+22
- Bethalto, IL R+27
- Hartford, IL R+32
- Alton, IL D+11
- South Roxana, IL R+38
- Moro, IL R+35
- Fosterburg, IL R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bowie, TX R+68
- Litchfield, MN R+34
- Folsom, LA R+60
- Ruidoso, NM R+16
- Chesapeake Beach, MD R+5
- Filer, ID R+58
- Winchester, CA R+22
- Upper Sandusky, OH R+47
- Crossville, AL R+68
- Perry Heights, OH R+19
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.