Edwards leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Edwards typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Edwards, ~36% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Edwards compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Edwards leans more Republican than 6 of 83 neighbors.
Edwards runs about 25 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Edwards is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Edwards. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+30) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Edwards 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 Edwards, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Edwards votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 23%, modestly below the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in Edwards are family households, above 92% of cities. Edwards runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Edwards, IL sits in the top tenth nationally 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 Edwards looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Edwards 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Edwards have completed high school, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kickapoo, IL R+31
- Norwood, IL R+21
- Dunlap, IL R+7
- Peoria, IL D+31
- Bellevue, IL R+14
- West Peoria, IL D+26
- Hanna City, IL R+32
- Brimfield, IL R+36
- Peoria Heights, IL D+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Shortsville, NY R+22
- Springdale, PA R+7
- Piedmont, MO R+64
- McColl, SC R+28
- Vernonia, OR R+37
- Howards Grove, WI R+35
- Palmyra, WI R+31
- Gunnison, UT R+64
- North Shore, CA D+16
- Port Byron, NY R+38
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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.