| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,145 | 6,987 | 8,288 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,246 | 7,035 | 8,490 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,212 | 6,618 | 7,994 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,556 | 5,955 | 7,726 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,957 | 5,473 | 7,681 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,473 | 5,192 | 7,799 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,315 | 4,600 | 7,193 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,824 | 2,852 | 6,679 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,162 | 2,757 | 7,217 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,390 | 4,099 | 6,595 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,101 | 5,181 | 7,386 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,617 | 3,993 | 6,824 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,505 | 2,432 | 5,966 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,120 | 3,609 | 4,823 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,290 | 2,094 | 5,196 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,575 | 2,022 | 4,608 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,635 | 1,882 | 3,632 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,287 | 1,832 | 3,143 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,379 | 1,756 | 3,141 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,417 | 554 | 2,140 | |
| 1944 | D | 999 | 764 | 1,773 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,255 | 585 | 1,858 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,170 | 537 | 1,735 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,568 | 223 | 1,874 | |
| 1928 | R | 870 | 1,022 | 1,916 | |
| 1924 | D | 863 | 502 | 1,594 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,208 | 1,173 | 2,535 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,242 | 448 | 1,690 | |
| 1912 | D | 694 | 162 | 1,462 | |
| 1908 | D | 824 | 628 | 1,658 | |
| 1904 | D | 528 | 476 | 1,177 | |
| 1900 | D | 922 | 411 | 1,387 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,004 | 51 | 1,067 | |
| 1892 | D | 455 | 394 | 1,041 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Polk County's rugged Ouachita Mountain terrain anchors a sparse, heavily rural electorate that delivered a 70-point Republican margin in 2024—among the widest gaps recorded anywhere in the state that cycle.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Polk County peaked at eighty-nine points in 1896; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1996 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of zero points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Polk County's median household income of $49,191 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Harrison County and Boone County.