Franklin County is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Franklin County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Franklin County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Franklin County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Franklin County leans more Republican than 9 of 16 neighbors.
Franklin County runs about 63 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Franklin County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Franklin 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 Franklin County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Franklin County, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Franklin County runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Never-married share and voter turnout
Places with a low never-married share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Franklin County, IL sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Franklin County looks the way it does
Turnout in Franklin 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
- Williamson County, IL R+36
- Perry County, IL R+49
- Jackson County, IL D+7
- Hamilton County, IL R+62
- Jefferson County, IL R+44
- Saline County, IL R+50
- Johnson County, IL R+41
- Washington County, IL R+53
- Union County, IL R+48
- Gallatin County, IL R+60
Counties with Similar Populations
- Jasper County, IA R+28
- Oneida County, WI R+18
- Cass County, IN R+38
- Marion County, IL R+47
- Newberry County, SC R+22
- Montgomery County, IN R+44
- Independence County, AR R+57
- Lawrence County, MO R+60
- Louisa County, VA R+32
- Covington County, AL R+66
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.