Kernan leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Kernan typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kernan, ~16% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kernan compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kernan leans more Republican than 31 of 63 neighbors.
Kernan runs about 52 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Kernan is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Kernan 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 Kernan, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 93% of residents in Kernan drive to work alone, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Kernan runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Housing overcrowding and voter turnout
Places with heavy housing overcrowding tend to turn out at a lower rate; Kernan, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Kernan looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 10% of homes in Kernan have more than one occupant per room, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- South Streator, IL R+42
- Streator, IL R+21
- Ransom, IL R+42
- Kangley, IL R+35
- Reading, IL R+52
- Grand Ridge, IL R+42
- Blackstone, IL R+52
- Sunbury, IL R+49
- Ancona, IL R+53
Cities with Similar Populations
- Metasville, GA R+49
- Merrillsville, NY R+34
- Tyee, OR R+31
- Devils Tower, WY R+76
- New Hope, NY R+32
- Stotts Crossroads, NC R+51
- New Harmony, MS R+74
- East Ararat, PA R+41
- East Hickory, PA R+46
- Rockland, DE D+22
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.