Pontiac leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Pontiac typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pontiac, ~26% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pontiac compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pontiac leans more Republican than 2 of 57 neighbors.
Pontiac runs about 38 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Pontiac is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pontiac. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+36) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+22), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Pontiac 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 Pontiac, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pontiac votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 53%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Pontiac runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Pontiac, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Pontiac looks the way it does
Turnout in Pontiac 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
- McDowell, IL R+54
- Swygert, IL R+50
- Rowe, IL R+51
- Ocoya, IL R+53
- Graymont, IL R+57
- Rugby, IL R+52
- Odell, IL R+38
- Chenoa, IL R+38
- Weston, IL R+52
- Cornell, IL R+55
Cities with Similar Populations
- Waupun, WI R+21
- Williamston, SC R+60
- Carbondale, PA R+12
- Four Oaks, NC R+39
- Wickliffe, OH R+4
- Nappanee, IN R+57
- Lake Geneva, WI R+6
- Poquoson, VA R+38
- Alcoa, TN R+27
- Monaca, PA R+21
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.