Elon leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 90% of adults in Elon typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elon, ~27% vote Democratic, ~63% Republican, and ~10% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Elon compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Elon leans more Republican than 47 of 51 neighbors.
Elon runs about 27 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Elon. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+30), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Elon 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 Elon, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Elon, about 96% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 7 points below the Iowa average of 24%.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Elon, IA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Elon looks the way it does
Turnout in Elon sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Waterville, IA R+39
- Waukon, IA R+29
- Volney, IA R+40
- Village Creek, IA R+30
- Lansing, IA R+27
- Harpers Ferry, IA R+34
- Ludlow, IA R+39
- Waukon Junction, IA R+33
- Watson, IA R+38
- Monona, IA R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Youngstown, IN R+33
- Finley Crossing, AL R+10
- Strong City, OK R+82
- Shafter, TX Even
- Fisherdale, PA R+52
- Strangers Home, AR R+65
- Levanna, NY R+10
- Lake Delta, NY R+43
- Stumptown, WV R+59
- Sutton, AR R+73
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa Secretary of State, 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.