Bluffton, IN is a small town with a population of around 8,400 people. It has a strong sense of community and is known for its historic downtown area. Politically, the town is divided between Democrats and Republicans. Local elections typically involve several candidates from both major political parties competing for positions on the city council or school board. The issues that often come up during these races include economic development, property taxes, and public safety. Residents have recently become more engaged in politics by attending forums sponsored by local candidates to learn more about their platform and goals. Bluffton strives to promote thoughtful dialogue between all members of the community regardless of their political affiliations in order to foster a healthy atmosphere where everyone can voice their opinions without fear of judgement or reprisal.
The political climate in Bluffton, IN is moderately conservative.
Wells County, IN is very conservative. In Wells County, IN 20.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 77.1% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Wells county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 77.1% to 20.8%.
Wells county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Bluffton, IN is moderately conservative.
Wells County, Indiana is very conservative.
Fort Wayne Metro Area is moderately conservative.
Indiana is somewhat conservative.
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.
Bluffton, Indiana: R R R R 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 if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. 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 Bluffton, IN
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 140 contributions totaling $14,814 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $106 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 386 contributions totaling $69,604 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $180 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)