Gerlaw leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Gerlaw typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gerlaw, ~21% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gerlaw compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gerlaw leans more Republican than 51 of 60 neighbors.
Gerlaw runs about 57 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Gerlaw is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Gerlaw 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 Gerlaw, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 96% of residents in Gerlaw drive to work alone, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Gerlaw runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Gerlaw, IL sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Gerlaw looks the way it does
Turnout in Gerlaw 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
- Shanghai City, IL R+42
- Alexis, IL R+38
- Cameron, IL R+44
- Monmouth, IL R+9
- Henderson Grove, IL R+32
- North Henderson, IL R+31
- Ormonde, IL R+50
- Little York, IL R+44
- Galesburg, IL D+4
- Henderson, IL R+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bigler, PA R+65
- Hamlin, VA R+68
- Moorpark Home Acres, CA R+13
- Maxville, OH R+65
- Sherman Station, ME R+28
- Coinjock, NC R+37
- Concan, TX R+68
- Sandusky, WI R+35
- Cordova, NE R+64
- Long Creek, SC R+55
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.