Whiteside County, Illinois is a part of the Sauk Valley region and is located in the northwest corner of the state. The county has a population of 58,498 residents according to the latest census report, and is home to numerous small towns with vibrant local politics. In Whiteside County, citizens have the opportunity to engage in local politics by electing representatives from their own community to lead their county government. The members of this county board are elected for two-year terms and work together to address important issues facing residents such as access to public transportation, infrastructure projects, economic development efforts, and public safety initiatives. This board also works with other regional entities such as Jackson County Health Department and Rock Island County Regional Planning Commission to ensure that resources are being directed effectively throughout Whiteside County. Voters within this county are able to weigh in on local issues through voting during general elections as well as through holding town hall meetings where they can express their opinions directly with their elected officials. Through these means, citizens of Whiteside County have a strong voice in shaping their local political landscape.
The political climate in Whiteside County, IL is somewhat conservative.
In Whiteside County, IL 44.7% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 53.0% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Whiteside county remained moderately Republican, 53.0% to 44.7%.
Whiteside county voted Republican in the two most recent Presidential elections, after voting Democratic in the previous four.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Whiteside County, IL is somewhat conservative.
Sterling Metro Area is somewhat conservative.
Illinois is moderately liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Whiteside, Illinois: d d D D r r
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Whiteside County, IL
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,521 contributions totaling $93,950 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $62 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 318 contributions totaling $35,262 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $111 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)