Altona, IL is a small town located in northwestern Illinois. It has a population of approximately 2,700 people and is known for its rural charm. Politics in Altona are relatively local and simple because of its small size. The town is served by the DeKalb County Board which consists of representatives from all parts of the county and makes decisions on important matters such as budgeting for schools, local taxes, infrastructure projects, and other public services. Each year, residents elect candidates to represent them on the board. Although Altona does not have its own mayor or city council, it is still a part of the greater DeKalb County political system. This means that residents can weigh in on county-wide issues through their representation on the board. Additionally, mayoral elections are held every four years with candidates running for the position from all around DeKalb County. As a result, politics in Altona remain personal and local even though it is part of a larger political landscape in Illinois.
The political climate in Altona, IL is somewhat conservative.
Knox County, IL is leaning conservative. In Knox County, IL 46.1% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 51.7% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Knox county remained moderately Republican, 51.7% to 46.1%.
Knox county voted Republican in the two most recent Presidential elections, after voting Democratic in the previous four.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Altona, IL is somewhat conservative.
Knox County, Illinois is leaning conservative.
Galesburg Metro Area is leaning 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.
Altona, 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 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 Altona, IL
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 6 contributions totaling $2,265 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $378 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 32 contributions totaling $43,596 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $1,362 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)