| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 813 | 4,473 | 5,311 | |
| 2020 | R | 804 | 4,161 | 5,009 | |
| 2016 | R | 665 | 3,585 | 4,380 | |
| 2012 | R | 751 | 3,446 | 4,257 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,036 | 3,392 | 4,491 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,011 | 3,185 | 4,217 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,018 | 2,420 | 3,472 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,484 | 1,575 | 3,452 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,338 | 1,058 | 3,342 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,453 | 1,439 | 2,896 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,104 | 1,836 | 2,948 | |
| 1980 | D | 1,487 | 1,105 | 2,633 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,636 | 758 | 2,404 | |
| 1972 | R | 546 | 1,059 | 1,607 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,001 | 481 | 1,989 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,520 | 424 | 1,944 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,148 | 620 | 1,774 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,082 | 556 | 1,641 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,358 | 564 | 1,923 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,236 | 146 | 1,527 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,336 | 147 | 1,601 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,621 | 183 | 1,806 | |
| 1936 | D | 925 | 90 | 1,017 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,305 | 56 | 1,362 | |
| 1928 | D | 713 | 386 | 1,099 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,157 | 118 | 1,336 | |
| 1920 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1916 | D | 684 | 62 | 788 | |
| 1912 | D | 573 | 19 | 604 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Franklin County's 2024 presidential margin of R+68.9 reflects a pattern common to rural East Texas: a small, stable population with voting returns that have grown more lopsided in each successive cycle.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Franklin County peaked at ninety-two points in 1912; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1996 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Franklin County's median household income of $72,360 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of McCulloch County and Jack County.