Jefferson County is located in the state of Wisconsin and is known for its strong agricultural industry and rich history. It is also an area where local politics play an important role in the lives of its citizens. The county's government is headed up by a Board of Supervisors, which sets policy for the county and oversees activities such as public works projects. Additionally, members from each voting district within the county are elected to serve on various committees that make recommendations to the board about areas such as zoning regulations, land use planning, and economic development. There are numerous opportunities for the residents of Jefferson County to get involved in local politics and make their view heard. From attending committee meetings to running for office, the residents of Jefferson County have a variety of ways to stay informed about what goes on in their community.
The political climate in Jefferson County, WI is somewhat conservative.
In Jefferson County, WI 41.5% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 56.7% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.8% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Jefferson county remained very strongly Republican, 56.7% to 41.5%.
Jefferson county voted Republican in five of the last six Presidential elections (2008 went Democratic).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Jefferson County, WI is somewhat conservative.
Watertown-Fort Atkinson Metro Area is somewhat conservative.
Wisconsin 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.
Jefferson, Wisconsin: R R 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 for the Democrat and I for the Independent. 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 Jefferson County, WI
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 2,612 contributions totaling $240,172 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $92 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 1,022 contributions totaling $178,125 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $174 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)