| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,483 | 12,543 | 17,213 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,522 | 12,140 | 16,906 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,853 | 10,025 | 14,547 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,463 | 7,579 | 13,279 | |
| 2008 | D | 7,290 | 6,676 | 14,271 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,602 | 7,872 | 14,550 | |
| 2000 | R | 5,754 | 7,347 | 13,580 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,749 | 4,889 | 13,013 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,016 | 4,908 | 13,832 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,879 | 6,737 | 12,744 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,486 | 8,470 | 14,007 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,898 | 7,175 | 13,669 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,713 | 6,159 | 13,109 | |
| 1972 | R | 4,710 | 7,900 | 12,908 | |
| 1968 | D | 6,886 | 6,193 | 14,046 | |
| 1964 | D | 10,455 | 4,354 | 14,828 | |
| 1960 | D | 8,398 | 7,155 | 15,567 | |
| 1956 | R | 5,498 | 8,947 | 14,468 | |
| 1952 | R | 6,448 | 7,702 | 14,195 | |
| 1948 | D | 5,363 | 5,148 | 10,511 | |
| 1944 | D | 6,097 | 5,645 | 11,809 | |
| 1940 | R | 6,920 | 6,949 | 13,900 | |
| 1936 | D | 9,035 | 5,489 | 15,631 | |
| 1932 | D | 6,461 | 5,797 | 12,497 | |
| 1928 | D | 7,705 | 5,234 | 13,009 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,370 | 6,626 | 9,352 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,093 | 5,267 | 7,964 | |
| 1916 | R | 2,186 | 2,829 | 5,405 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,057 | 603 | 5,742 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,531 | 2,991 | 5,805 | |
| 1904 | R | 2,857 | 3,820 | 6,914 | |
| 1900 | R | 3,105 | 3,254 | 6,500 | |
| 1896 | R | 2,717 | 2,807 | 5,663 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,126 | 1,438 | 3,693 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Elk County's heavily forested terrain and legacy timber and manufacturing economy underpin a voter profile that broke roughly 73–26 for the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, among the widest margins in the state.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Elk County peaked at forty-one points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2012 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of sixteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Elk County's median household income of $66,380 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Oconto County and Tuscarawas County.