Highland, IL is an idyllic small town located in Madison County. The politics of Highland are shaped by a local council consisting of seven elected members. These members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting the agenda for the town’s political decisions. They are responsible for setting the annual budget, approving contracts and ordinances, as well as advocating on behalf of the citizens of Highland. The council meets monthly to discuss topics ranging from infrastructure to public safety, and they also hold regular public input sessions to make sure that their decisions reflect the needs and concerns of their constituents. In addition, each member serves on one or more committees that review specialized topics such as planning commission, parks and recreation board, or audit committee. The local government works hard to ensure that all residents have access to quality services and resources while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
The political climate in Highland, IL is somewhat conservative.
Madison County, IL is somewhat conservative. In Madison County, IL 42.0% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 55.3% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.7% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Madison county remained strongly Republican, 55.3% to 42.0%.
Madison county voted Republican in three most recent Presidential elections, after voting Democratic in the previous three.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Highland, IL is somewhat conservative.
Madison County, Illinois is somewhat conservative.
St. Louis Metro Area is leaning liberal.
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.
Highland, Illinois: d d d 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 Highland, IL
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 405 contributions totaling $42,276 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $104 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 549 contributions totaling $152,223 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $277 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)