| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,207 | 8,205 | 10,617 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,340 | 8,608 | 11,130 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,839 | 7,888 | 10,339 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,297 | 7,874 | 10,341 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,027 | 7,802 | 11,023 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,874 | 8,666 | 11,706 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,238 | 7,302 | 10,955 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,121 | 7,855 | 12,099 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,846 | 5,113 | 13,582 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,024 | 7,741 | 13,075 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,111 | 10,232 | 13,538 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,663 | 9,147 | 13,852 | |
| 1976 | R | 5,497 | 7,311 | 13,142 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,481 | 8,479 | 12,312 | |
| 1968 | R | 4,464 | 6,700 | 12,208 | |
| 1964 | D | 7,340 | 4,826 | 12,221 | |
| 1960 | R | 6,036 | 7,599 | 13,665 | |
| 1956 | R | 4,378 | 8,644 | 13,063 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,847 | 9,380 | 13,319 | |
| 1948 | R | 5,307 | 6,191 | 11,600 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,761 | 5,547 | 9,345 | |
| 1940 | R | 4,982 | 6,011 | 11,043 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,978 | 3,534 | 9,517 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,776 | 3,365 | 8,238 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,777 | 4,966 | 7,767 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,605 | 4,109 | 7,274 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,688 | 3,993 | 5,806 | |
| 1916 | D | 3,292 | 2,891 | 6,502 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,069 | 692 | 4,069 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,004 | 1,729 | 3,857 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,235 | 1,939 | 3,332 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,772 | 1,564 | 3,366 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,616 | 1,215 | 2,855 | |
| 1892 | R | 0 | 1,816 | 3,204 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Barton County, anchored by Great Bend on the Arkansas River, delivered a 56.8-point Republican margin in 2024, reflecting the deep conservative lean common across Kansas's agricultural heartland.
The Democratic margin in Barton County peaked at thirty-four points in 1912. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-six points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Barton County's median household income of $58,851 sits well below state and national norms, and 15% 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 Ellsworth County and Decatur County.