Rees is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Rees typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rees, ~16% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rees compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rees leans more Republican than 43 of 63 neighbors.
Rees runs about 66 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Rees is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Rees 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 Rees, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Rees, 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%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 87% of residents in Rees drive to work alone, above 88% of cities. Rees runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Housing overcrowding and voter turnout
Places with low overcrowding tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rees, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rees looks the way it does
Turnout in Rees 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
- Franklin, IL R+55
- Pisgah, IL R+55
- Orleans, IL R+54
- Alexander, IL R+54
- Waverly, IL R+48
- Arnold, IL R+52
- Woodson, IL R+54
- South Jacksonville, IL R+21
- Berlin, IL R+50
- New Berlin, IL R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Prospect, IL R+47
- Yatesville, IL R+52
- Principio Furnace, MD R+28
- Bay City, WA R+17
- Walnut Creek, AZ R+49
- Shanagolden, WI R+38
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.