| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,277 | 14,945 | 19,488 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,470 | 14,699 | 19,479 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,002 | 13,752 | 18,534 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,908 | 12,214 | 17,122 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,603 | 13,241 | 18,844 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,466 | 12,178 | 18,644 | |
| 2000 | R | 6,659 | 9,667 | 16,458 | |
| 1996 | D | 6,979 | 6,769 | 15,804 | |
| 1992 | D | 7,171 | 5,947 | 18,368 | |
| 1988 | R | 7,988 | 8,430 | 16,535 | |
| 1984 | R | 6,161 | 11,578 | 17,822 | |
| 1980 | R | 6,509 | 9,262 | 16,154 | |
| 1976 | D | 8,319 | 6,668 | 15,070 | |
| 1972 | R | 4,577 | 9,368 | 14,106 | |
| 1968 | D | 5,807 | 5,127 | 14,348 | |
| 1964 | D | 10,645 | 4,986 | 15,631 | |
| 1960 | D | 8,441 | 6,288 | 14,729 | |
| 1956 | D | 9,341 | 5,974 | 15,315 | |
| 1952 | D | 10,276 | 5,974 | 16,250 | |
| 1948 | D | 9,474 | 2,147 | 11,621 | |
| 1944 | D | 9,184 | 2,446 | 11,654 | |
| 1940 | D | 10,441 | 3,270 | 13,746 | |
| 1936 | D | 9,387 | 2,247 | 11,669 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,633 | 1,733 | 11,366 | |
| 1928 | R | 5,086 | 6,538 | 11,716 | |
| 1924 | D | 7,134 | 3,164 | 10,862 | |
| 1920 | D | 5,997 | 3,561 | 10,133 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,949 | 1,013 | 4,908 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,860 | 652 | 3,221 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,181 | 1,305 | 4,080 | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Carter County sits atop the Ardmore Basin and has shifted steadily toward lopsided Republican margins over the past two decades, with the 2024 presidential result landing at R+54.7 — well above even Oklahoma's already-tilted statewide average.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Carter County peaked at seventy points in 1932; 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 eighteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Carter County's median household income of $60,723 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Fayette County and McCurtain County.