Carthage, IL is a small city located in Hancock County, with a population of about 4,400. It is governed by a mayor-council form of government, with the mayor being appointed from among the council members. Civic engagement is an important part of life in Carthage, and residents take pride in their involvement in local politics. There are numerous opportunities for public input on issues such as zoning ordinances and development initiatives. The City Council meets regularly to discuss local matters and to ensure that the best interests of the community are met. In addition to the City Council, there are various boards and commissions that oversee different aspects of civic life in Carthage such as planning and zoning, public safety, parks and recreation, economic development, finance and budgeting. Local political candidates come from all walks of life and offer diverse perspectives on many issues facing Carthage residents today.
The political climate in Carthage, IL is moderately conservative.
Hancock County, IL is very conservative. In Hancock County, IL 24.6% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 73.4% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.9% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Hancock county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 73.4% to 24.6%.
Hancock county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Carthage, IL is moderately conservative.
Hancock County, Illinois is very conservative.
Fort Madison-Keokuk Metro Area is very 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.
Carthage, Illinois: 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 Carthage, IL
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 73 contributions totaling $1,241 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $17 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 48 contributions totaling $2,457 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $51 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)