| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 961 | 2,720 | 3,759 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,068 | 2,773 | 3,918 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,075 | 2,524 | 3,834 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,727 | 2,069 | 3,902 | |
| 2008 | D | 1,900 | 1,833 | 3,823 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,594 | 2,403 | 4,031 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,587 | 2,077 | 3,772 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,636 | 1,597 | 3,749 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,650 | 1,512 | 3,995 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,866 | 2,178 | 4,066 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,533 | 2,515 | 4,061 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,445 | 2,799 | 4,460 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,014 | 2,635 | 4,669 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,534 | 2,994 | 4,534 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,475 | 2,760 | 4,600 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,504 | 2,417 | 4,921 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,115 | 3,047 | 5,164 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,189 | 3,068 | 5,270 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,076 | 3,295 | 5,375 | |
| 1948 | R | 2,464 | 2,519 | 5,074 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,555 | 2,801 | 5,405 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,404 | 3,318 | 6,803 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,885 | 3,029 | 6,957 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,782 | 2,075 | 5,930 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,542 | 3,011 | 5,576 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,860 | 2,729 | 5,906 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,258 | 2,800 | 5,199 | |
| 1916 | D | 3,392 | 2,595 | 6,238 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,714 | 853 | 3,428 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,876 | 1,622 | 3,745 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,682 | 1,636 | 3,613 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,167 | 1,791 | 4,050 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,334 | 1,848 | 4,261 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,880 | 1,563 | 3,794 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Schuyler County's R+46.8 margin in 2024 reflects a broader west-central Illinois trend where small agricultural communities have shifted decisively away from statewide Democratic patterns, even as Illinois's electoral votes remain uncompetitive.
The Democratic margin in Schuyler County peaked at twenty-nine points in 1932. By 2012 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Schuyler County's median household income of $65,948 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% 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 Tuscarawas County and Spencer County.