Lee County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Lee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lee County, ~28% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lee County leans more Republican than 7 of 12 neighbors.
Lee County runs about 32 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Lee County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lee County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+43) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Lee 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 Lee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 83% of residents in Lee County drive to work alone, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Lee County runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Local retail density and voter turnout
Places with dense local retail within a mile tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lee County, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Nearby retail does not change how people vote; it reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Lee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Lee 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
- Ogle County, IL R+28
- Whiteside County, IL R+20
- Bureau County, IL R+27
- Carroll County, IL R+34
- DeKalb County, IL D+3
- Stephenson County, IL R+14
- Winnebago County, IL D+7
- Putnam County, IL R+28
- LaSalle County, IL R+21
- Boone County, IL R+15
Counties with Similar Populations
- Scotland County, NC D+2
- Emmet County, MI R+10
- Monroe County, MS R+31
- Whitley County, IN R+51
- Miami County, KS R+39
- Preston County, WV R+58
- Christian County, IL R+45
- Harvey County, KS R+33
- Halifax County, VA R+19
- Morrison County, MN R+53
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.