| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 36,297 | 16,049 | 53,107 | |
| 2020 | D | 36,048 | 14,446 | 51,333 | |
| 2016 | D | 29,603 | 12,717 | 45,476 | |
| 2012 | D | 25,431 | 13,815 | 40,515 | |
| 2008 | D | 29,591 | 15,333 | 45,510 | |
| 2004 | D | 21,718 | 15,052 | 37,443 | |
| 2000 | D | 15,167 | 11,850 | 28,904 | |
| 1996 | D | 15,206 | 10,504 | 27,346 | |
| 1992 | D | 15,403 | 10,459 | 28,998 | |
| 1988 | D | 11,154 | 11,150 | 22,452 | |
| 1984 | R | 10,132 | 11,503 | 21,635 | |
| 1980 | D | 10,519 | 8,094 | 19,899 | |
| 1976 | D | 11,342 | 6,610 | 17,952 | |
| 1972 | R | 6,090 | 11,465 | 17,555 | |
| 1968 | R | 5,543 | 5,800 | 14,808 | |
| 1964 | D | 7,519 | 4,875 | 12,394 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,812 | 2,250 | 7,062 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,257 | 2,107 | 6,364 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,904 | 1,588 | 6,492 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,095 | 707 | 4,317 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,112 | 274 | 3,386 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,894 | 246 | 3,150 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,632 | 160 | 2,796 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,992 | 159 | 2,164 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,407 | 724 | 2,131 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,530 | 267 | 1,860 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,419 | 217 | 1,636 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,036 | 113 | 1,180 | |
| 1912 | D | 950 | 66 | 1,099 | |
| 1908 | D | 720 | 207 | 1,025 | |
| 1904 | D | 773 | 118 | 1,009 | |
| 1900 | D | 672 | 199 | 909 | |
| 1896 | D | 707 | 419 | 1,175 | |
| 1892 | D | 835 | 545 | 1,515 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Clarke County anchors the Athens metro and posts some of the widest Democratic margins in Georgia, a pattern driven by a large university population and a majority-minority electorate that has held consistent across multiple election cycles.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Clarke County peaked at eighty-eight points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1988 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 settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Clarke County's median household income of $53,625 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Napa County and Chittenden County.