| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,774 | 5,145 | 7,030 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,125 | 5,548 | 7,926 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,408 | 5,338 | 7,902 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,859 | 4,867 | 7,921 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,976 | 5,406 | 8,642 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,881 | 4,567 | 8,512 | |
| 2000 | D | 4,253 | 3,876 | 8,271 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,011 | 2,428 | 8,281 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,876 | 2,686 | 9,567 | |
| 1988 | D | 4,466 | 4,111 | 8,659 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,373 | 5,675 | 9,089 | |
| 1980 | D | 4,552 | 3,960 | 8,748 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,253 | 3,092 | 8,354 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,680 | 5,506 | 7,203 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,035 | 1,470 | 7,906 | |
| 1964 | R | 2,901 | 3,742 | 6,710 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,118 | 1,288 | 5,026 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,820 | 1,183 | 4,270 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,471 | 1,249 | 4,729 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,844 | 197 | 2,408 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,169 | 285 | 2,460 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,835 | 184 | 2,023 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,382 | 95 | 1,477 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,537 | 188 | 2,733 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,393 | 786 | 2,182 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,048 | 506 | 1,649 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,312 | 725 | 2,069 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,519 | 463 | 1,982 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,029 | 439 | 1,896 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,100 | 821 | 1,991 | |
| 1904 | D | 804 | 347 | 1,163 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,381 | 524 | 1,928 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,760 | 405 | 2,255 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,099 | 478 | 1,618 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Ashley County in southeastern Arkansas has shifted decisively Republican over recent decades, recording a 48-point presidential margin in 2024 in a county where timber, agriculture, and small-town demographics define the electorate.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Ashley County peaked at eighty-seven points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Ashley County's median household income of $44,266 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 22% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Conway County and Hot Spring County.