| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,948 | 12,691 | 15,908 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,885 | 11,850 | 15,098 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,631 | 10,438 | 13,763 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,580 | 9,252 | 13,119 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,553 | 8,956 | 13,697 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,775 | 8,586 | 12,453 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,606 | 6,430 | 10,294 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,307 | 4,521 | 9,089 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,316 | 3,465 | 8,675 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,419 | 5,030 | 8,470 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,819 | 5,467 | 8,286 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,336 | 4,842 | 8,368 | |
| 1976 | R | 3,663 | 3,893 | 7,590 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,245 | 5,409 | 7,654 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,170 | 4,145 | 6,929 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,353 | 3,288 | 6,641 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,440 | 4,849 | 7,289 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,968 | 4,410 | 7,378 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,474 | 5,263 | 7,761 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,079 | 4,026 | 7,107 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,527 | 5,040 | 7,585 | |
| 1940 | R | 3,380 | 5,534 | 8,928 | |
| 1936 | R | 3,899 | 5,126 | 9,048 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,355 | 3,811 | 8,213 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,303 | 5,307 | 7,622 | |
| 1924 | R | 3,033 | 4,097 | 7,291 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,847 | 4,967 | 7,907 | |
| 1916 | R | 2,149 | 2,613 | 4,858 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,935 | 1,802 | 4,616 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,139 | 2,670 | 4,905 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,807 | 2,659 | 4,675 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,178 | 2,679 | 4,999 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,711 | 2,564 | 5,306 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,211 | 1,918 | 4,171 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Polk County, anchored by Bolivar in the Ozarks fringe, returned a 61-point Republican margin in 2024 — a figure that places it among Missouri's most one-sided counties and reflects the region's deep rural realignment over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Polk County peaked at seven points in 1932. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Polk County's median household income of $59,647 sits well below state and national norms, and 16% 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 Lawrence County and Dade County.