Elkhart leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 33% of adults in Elkhart typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elkhart, ~8% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~67% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Elkhart compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Elkhart leans more Republican than 28 of 59 neighbors.
Elkhart runs about 61 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Elkhart is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Elkhart 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 Elkhart, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Elkhart votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Elkhart runs about 61 points more Republican. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Elkhart drive to work alone, above 80% of cities. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Elkhart sits in the bottom quarter (about 13%, below 83% of cities).
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with low high-school-completion share tend to turn out at a lower rate; Elkhart, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Elkhart looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 82% of adults in Elkhart have completed high school, about 8 points below the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Broadwell, IL R+49
- Lincoln, IL R+33
- Middletown, IL R+54
- Mount Pulaski, IL R+48
- Lake Fork, IL R+53
- Lawndale, IL R+55
- New Holland, IL R+58
- Beason, IL R+58
- Hartsburg, IL R+58
- Chestnut, IL R+55
Cities with Similar Populations
- Montegut, LA R+79
- Bay Springs, MS Even
- Wagener, SC R+37
- Eupora, MS R+31
- Remington, VA R+23
- Jacksons' Gap, AL R+67
- Fairfax, VT R+17
- Merton, WI R+32
- Runaway Bay, TX R+72
- Ellsworth, KS R+45
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.