| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 472 | 2,560 | 3,059 | |
| 2020 | R | 529 | 2,733 | 3,298 | |
| 2016 | R | 540 | 2,406 | 3,038 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,157 | 1,931 | 3,202 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,418 | 1,782 | 3,287 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,449 | 1,896 | 3,364 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,298 | 1,762 | 3,131 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,631 | 903 | 2,960 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,014 | 776 | 3,325 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,864 | 1,162 | 3,035 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,026 | 1,330 | 3,356 | |
| 1980 | D | 1,919 | 1,271 | 3,250 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,143 | 879 | 3,030 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,031 | 1,541 | 2,572 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,245 | 898 | 2,581 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,835 | 530 | 2,365 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,044 | 1,139 | 2,183 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,596 | 917 | 2,513 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,124 | 949 | 3,079 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,050 | 692 | 2,748 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,877 | 951 | 2,833 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,406 | 1,187 | 3,600 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,476 | 915 | 3,396 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,439 | 792 | 3,252 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,582 | 1,247 | 2,835 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,822 | 873 | 2,724 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,837 | 1,173 | 3,046 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,209 | 592 | 1,849 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,030 | 367 | 1,654 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,052 | 544 | 1,642 | |
| 1904 | D | 877 | 505 | 1,394 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,027 | 451 | 1,481 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,015 | 385 | 1,403 | |
| 1892 | D | 903 | 281 | 1,193 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Reynolds County's Ozark topography and sparse population have long produced some of Missouri's widest Republican margins; in 2024 its presidential gap exceeded 68 points, anchored by a small, predominantly white, working-class electorate with few urban counterweights.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Reynolds County peaked at fifty-five points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of fifteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Reynolds County's median household income of $45,028 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Davis County and Marion County.