Great Lakes leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 41% of adults in Great Lakes typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Great Lakes, ~27% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~60% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Great Lakes compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Great Lakes leans more Democratic than 104 of 113 neighbors.
Great Lakes runs about 24 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Great Lakes. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+44) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+22), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 78% of residents in Great Lakes live in densely developed areas, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 73% of adults in Great Lakes have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Great Lakes, IL sits in the top tenth 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 Great Lakes looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. More than 99% of households in Great Lakes rent, about 75 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Great Lakes sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Great Lakes have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- North Chicago, IL D+60
- Lake Bluff, IL D+22
- Green Oaks, IL D+10
- Park City, IL D+28
- Waukegan, IL D+39
- Lake Forest, IL D+16
- Mettawa, IL D+19
- Libertyville, IL D+26
- Gurnee, IL D+22
- Highwood, IL D+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Nashville, NC R+13
- Lake Wylie, SC R+24
- Lexington, TN R+58
- Marumsco, VA D+23
- Hopatcong, NJ R+16
- Channahon, IL R+25
- Greece, NY Even
- Huffman, TX R+61
- Saraland, AL R+50
- Smithfield, RI Even
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.