Ford County leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Ford County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ford County, ~25% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ford County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Ford County leans more Republican than 6 of 10 neighbors.
Ford County runs about 51 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Ford County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Ford County. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+35), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Ford County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Ford County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Ford County votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Ford County runs about 51 points more Republican.
Housing overcrowding and voter turnout
Places with low overcrowding tend to turn out at a higher rate; Ford County, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ford County looks the way it does
Turnout in Ford County 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 Counties
- Iroquois County, IL R+48
- Champaign County, IL D+29
- Livingston County, IL R+38
- McLean County, IL D+5
- Vermilion County, IL R+22
- Piatt County, IL R+35
- De Witt County, IL R+43
- Kankakee County, IL R+9
- Benton County, IN R+49
- Warren County, IN R+58
Counties with Similar Populations
- Greene County, MS R+53
- Grundy County, TN R+68
- Izard County, AR R+65
- Martinsville City, VA D+22
- Comanche County, TX R+65
- Trinity County, TX R+58
- Madison County, TX R+43
- Calhoun County, FL R+59
- Stewart County, TN R+67
- Pend Oreille County, WA R+38
All Local Stats
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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.