Mount Pleasant is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Mount Pleasant typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mount Pleasant, ~14% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mount Pleasant compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mount Pleasant leans more Republican than 62 of 81 neighbors.
Mount Pleasant runs about 70 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Mount Pleasant is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mount Pleasant. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+63) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+53), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Mount Pleasant, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the Illinois average of 27%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Mount Pleasant sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 78% of cities). Mount Pleasant 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; Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant looks the way it does
Turnout in Mount Pleasant 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
- Buncombe, IL R+58
- Balcom, IL R+56
- Elvira, IL R+54
- Saratoga, IL R+50
- Dongola, IL R+55
- Lick Creek, IL R+53
- Anna, IL R+45
- Cypress, IL R+59
- Perks, IL R+59
- Wetaug, IL R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fargo, OR R+20
- Houstonville, NC R+64
- Mount Vernon, MI R+50
- Purdin, MO R+70
- Brunsville, IA R+60
- Pottersville, VT R+9
- Wendover, KY R+71
- Indian Lake, PA R+59
- Roby, MO R+71
- Meservey, IA R+47
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.