| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 820 | 5,159 | 6,015 | |
| 2020 | R | 844 | 5,168 | 6,077 | |
| 2016 | R | 795 | 4,959 | 5,939 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,230 | 4,418 | 5,746 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,455 | 4,414 | 5,948 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,373 | 4,572 | 5,991 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,424 | 3,836 | 5,366 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,625 | 2,812 | 5,045 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,433 | 2,775 | 5,194 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,603 | 3,339 | 4,958 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,348 | 3,996 | 5,344 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,901 | 3,337 | 5,398 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,326 | 2,708 | 5,077 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,140 | 4,026 | 5,166 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,832 | 2,928 | 5,259 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,173 | 2,332 | 5,505 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,417 | 3,703 | 6,120 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,881 | 3,547 | 6,428 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,661 | 4,056 | 6,741 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,008 | 2,577 | 5,592 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,688 | 3,356 | 6,067 | |
| 1940 | R | 3,539 | 3,737 | 7,315 | |
| 1936 | D | 4,048 | 3,164 | 7,249 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,897 | 2,092 | 6,104 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,275 | 3,662 | 5,985 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,682 | 2,952 | 6,075 | |
| 1920 | R | 3,040 | 3,480 | 6,814 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,217 | 1,597 | 4,016 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,791 | 1,010 | 3,801 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,913 | 1,673 | 3,858 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,811 | 1,843 | 3,995 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,349 | 1,780 | 4,326 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,824 | 1,496 | 4,411 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,620 | 1,335 | 3,989 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Barton County recorded an R+72.1 margin in 2024, placing it among the most one-sided rural counties in the state. Its small, stable population of roughly 12,500 reflects the broader demographic pattern of sparsely settled southwest Missouri.
The Democratic margin in Barton County peaked at thirty points in 1896. 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. Barton County's median household income of $51,635 sits well below state and national norms, and 20% 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 Fulton County and Bedford County.