Gettysburg, PA is an area steeped in history and politics. Founded in 1786, the town has been a part of many important events in the American political landscape. Today, Gettysburg serves as a reminder of the nation's struggle for freedom and democracy through its battlefields that reflect the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The political atmosphere in Gettysburg is defined by two main governing bodies: Adams County Board of Commissioners and Borough Council. The board oversees administration of county programs such as law enforcement, public works, health services, and economic development. The council makes decisions on local laws and regulations affecting quality of life issues such as taxes, land use, zoning, and infrastructure projects. Residents have multiple opportunities to get involved in politics through participation in elections or attending committee meetings to discuss upcoming initiatives and proposals from borough and county officials. All citizens are encouraged to take part in civic engagement activities so they can influence policymaking decisions that affect their lives.
The political climate in Gettysburg, PA is somewhat conservative.
Adams County, PA is very conservative. In Adams County, PA 32.1% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 66.1% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.7% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Adams county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 66.1% to 32.1%.
Adams county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Gettysburg, PA is somewhat conservative.
Adams County, Pennsylvania is very conservative.
Gettysburg Metro Area is very conservative.
Pennsylvania is leaning 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.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: 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 Gettysburg, PA
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,527 contributions totaling $114,972 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $75 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 520 contributions totaling $67,922 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $131 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)