| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,634 | 7,830 | 10,605 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,789 | 8,103 | 11,089 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,572 | 8,276 | 11,384 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,701 | 6,806 | 10,720 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,083 | 6,099 | 11,428 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,697 | 7,057 | 11,814 | |
| 2000 | R | 5,427 | 5,933 | 11,650 | |
| 1996 | D | 6,156 | 3,693 | 11,665 | |
| 1992 | D | 7,258 | 3,667 | 13,254 | |
| 1988 | D | 6,676 | 5,798 | 12,521 | |
| 1984 | R | 6,038 | 7,176 | 13,251 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,683 | 7,157 | 13,265 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,472 | 5,970 | 13,493 | |
| 1972 | R | 5,226 | 7,660 | 12,918 | |
| 1968 | R | 5,985 | 6,913 | 13,849 | |
| 1964 | D | 8,337 | 5,691 | 14,028 | |
| 1960 | R | 6,835 | 8,853 | 15,707 | |
| 1956 | R | 7,215 | 8,481 | 15,716 | |
| 1952 | R | 7,771 | 9,206 | 17,006 | |
| 1948 | D | 7,718 | 7,676 | 15,485 | |
| 1944 | R | 7,351 | 9,083 | 16,539 | |
| 1940 | D | 10,692 | 10,567 | 21,377 | |
| 1936 | D | 10,253 | 9,055 | 19,616 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,725 | 6,294 | 16,473 | |
| 1928 | R | 6,337 | 7,525 | 13,983 | |
| 1924 | R | 4,037 | 6,084 | 12,937 | |
| 1920 | R | 3,500 | 6,722 | 12,692 | |
| 1916 | R | 5,930 | 7,061 | 13,954 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,599 | 2,254 | 8,111 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,471 | 3,125 | 5,996 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,758 | 2,735 | 4,804 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,186 | 2,495 | 4,756 | |
| 1896 | R | 2,296 | 2,605 | 4,933 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,828 | 2,171 | 4,351 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Saline County, tucked in southern Illinois's former coal belt, has shifted dramatically toward Republican presidential candidates over the past two decades, posting a 49-point margin in 2024 despite the state's Democratic lean overall.
The Democratic margin in Saline County peaked at twenty-seven points in 1992. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Saline County's median household income of $53,117 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Waller County and Christian County.