Union leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Union typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Union, ~37% vote Democratic, ~58% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Union compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Union leans more Republican than 76 of 104 neighbors.
Union runs about 33 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Union is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Union 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 Union, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Union votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Union runs about 33 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in Union are family households, above 83% of cities.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with low food insecurity tend to turn out at a higher rate; Union, IL sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Union looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Union is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Union own their home, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Union have completed high school, above 82% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Marengo, IL R+23
- Franklinville, IL R+17
- Huntley, IL R+3
- Lakewood, IL R+4
- New Lebanon, IL R+31
- Hampshire, IL R+19
- Woodstock, IL D+3
- Lake in the Hills, IL Even
- Ridgefield, IL R+6
- Starks, IL R+19
Cities with Similar Populations
- Barry, IL R+55
- Honouliuli, HI D+2
- Minatare, NE R+65
- Bucoda, WA R+29
- New Rockford, ND R+45
- New Berlin, PA R+48
- Karns City, PA R+60
- Byng, OK R+58
- Pembine, WI R+41
- Noxapater, MS R+29
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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.