St. Elmo is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 77% of adults in St. Elmo typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in St. Elmo, ~14% vote Democratic, ~63% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How St. Elmo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, St. Elmo leans more Republican than 14 of 55 neighbors.
St. Elmo runs about 74 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while St. Elmo is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within St. Elmo. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+57), a spread of about 10 points.
Why St. Elmo 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 St. Elmo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
St. Elmo votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while St. Elmo runs about 74 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but St. Elmo runs against that pattern. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and St. Elmo sits in the bottom quarter (about 11%, below 90% of cities).
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; St. Elmo, IL sits below the national average on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in St. Elmo looks the way it does
Turnout in St. Elmo 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
- Pruett, IL R+68
- St. James, IL R+69
- Brownstown, IL R+67
- Wrights Corner, IL R+67
- Altamont, IL R+60
- Confidence, IL R+74
- Hagarstown, IL R+70
- Moccasin, IL R+67
- Dexter, IL R+66
- St. Peter, IL R+70
Cities with Similar Populations
- Poland, NY R+38
- Lilesville, NC D+8
- Morven, GA R+44
- Shaftsburg, MI R+20
- Middlebourne, WV R+63
- DePue, IL D+2
- Millstone, NJ D+6
- Ramer, TN R+74
- Potter Valley, CA Even
- Williams, IN R+61
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.