| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 185 | 1,268 | 1,494 | |
| 2020 | R | 188 | 1,202 | 1,415 | |
| 2016 | R | 160 | 914 | 1,230 | |
| 2012 | R | 258 | 1,001 | 1,286 | |
| 2008 | R | 318 | 1,056 | 1,410 | |
| 2004 | R | 321 | 1,077 | 1,406 | |
| 2000 | R | 354 | 1,054 | 1,460 | |
| 1996 | R | 507 | 741 | 1,491 | |
| 1992 | R | 433 | 602 | 1,503 | |
| 1988 | R | 521 | 899 | 1,444 | |
| 1984 | R | 429 | 1,245 | 1,685 | |
| 1980 | R | 424 | 1,275 | 1,765 | |
| 1976 | R | 663 | 751 | 1,468 | |
| 1972 | R | 387 | 788 | 1,396 | |
| 1968 | R | 521 | 691 | 1,356 | |
| 1964 | D | 848 | 649 | 1,497 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,001 | 680 | 1,681 | |
| 1956 | R | 669 | 774 | 1,443 | |
| 1952 | R | 473 | 916 | 1,389 | |
| 1948 | D | 426 | 412 | 846 | |
| 1944 | R | 416 | 431 | 849 | |
| 1940 | D | 448 | 423 | 871 | |
| 1936 | D | 546 | 312 | 869 | |
| 1932 | D | 581 | 396 | 982 | |
| 1928 | R | 301 | 493 | 797 | |
| 1924 | R | 196 | 409 | 889 | |
| 1920 | R | 316 | 646 | 962 | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Butte County's sagebrush high desert and population under 3,000 make it one of Idaho's most sparsely settled jurisdictions; its 2024 presidential margin of R+72.5 reflects the lopsided partisanship typical of rural Intermountain West counties.
The Democratic margin in Butte County peaked at twenty-seven points in 1936. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was seventy-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Butte County's median household income of $53,015 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 Live Oak County and Aransas County.