Red Alert: Elmhurst’s blue is fading away

​​According to the 2020 Census, Elmhurst is a town that is 86.8 percent white and has a median income of $123,869. Demographically, it is the stereotypical upper middle class suburb. Like many upper middle class suburbs in the United States, in 2020 there was a dramatic shift to the left in every precinct in the city of Elmhurst. 

The New York Times shows that about 15 percent of precincts swung to the left. Not only that, but every precinct in Elmhurst voted for President Joe Biden. 

One would expect for the local elections the following year to be voting Democrat straight down the ballot; however, the complete opposite happened in 2021. 

Republicans won every race in the York township, and Elmhurst elected fiscally conservative mayor Scott Levin.

Graphic by- Rachel Fratt

One reason for this dramatic shift is that local elections have a large effect on how the local economy is run. 

“Suburban voters tend to care more about things like property taxes, schools, zoning, issues close to home,” said professor Constance Mixon, a political science professor at Elmhurst University. 

He continued,  “They will often, typically with someone as polarizing as Trump, and with decisions such as overturning Roe v Wade, they’ll vote democrat for national and state offices, but they’ll be more inclined to vote Republican, somebody they know, closer to home.”

Further, turnout is often lower in local elections compared to federal elections.

In the 2021 local elections, while Republicans swept all the races, there was a noticeable decline in the sheer number of voters.

Federal elections, such as presidential elections and senate elections, attract more attention due to the fact that they receive more funding. The constant bombardment of internet ads, television ads, and signs everywhere were prevalent in the 2020 elections. 

However, when it comes to local city elections, the funding for these races are very low, and there are hardly any advertisements besides campaign signs. 

Oftentimes, casual observers often aren’t aware there was an election until a couple days before the elections, or after the election is over. 

However, every community is different, with Professor Mixon mentioning this as well. 

“Elmhurst is an outlier compared to the rest of DuPage. Elmhurst is really wealthy and white, while demographics in DuPage have been shifting with increasing Latinx, Asian, decreasing white and increasing poverty,” said Mixon.

However, every election is different, so just because one election ends one way doesn’t mean it will end the same the next time around.