Edwardsville leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Edwardsville typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Edwardsville, ~40% vote Democratic, ~35% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Edwardsville compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Edwardsville leans more Democratic than 77 of 147 neighbors.
Edwardsville runs about 5 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Edwardsville. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+36), a spread of about 59 points.
Why Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 54% of adults in Edwardsville hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Edwardsville sits in the top fifth on density (about 62%, above 90% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Edwardsville have never been married, above 89% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Edwardsville, IL sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Edwardsville looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Edwardsville 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 Edwardsville have completed high school, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Wanda, IL R+29
- Poag, IL D+4
- Glen Carbon, IL D+3
- Kuhn Station, IL R+34
- Fruit, IL R+37
- South Roxana, IL R+38
- Maryville, IL R+10
- Roxana, IL R+22
- Holiday Shores, IL R+35
- Troy, IL R+25
Cities with Similar Populations
- Castaic, CA R+7
- Sun City West, AZ R+16
- Garden City, ID R+2
- Mehlville, MO Even
- Severna Park, MD D+12
- Fremont, NE R+26
- Moscow, ID D+15
- Washington, UT R+55
- Rockville Centre, NY D+7
- Sugar Hill, GA R+4
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.