| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,903 | 7,283 | 9,285 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,279 | 7,177 | 9,586 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,101 | 6,366 | 8,858 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,243 | 6,490 | 8,854 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,708 | 7,171 | 9,943 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,078 | 8,025 | 10,154 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,158 | 6,868 | 9,110 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,204 | 5,905 | 9,746 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,761 | 6,098 | 10,234 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,502 | 6,284 | 9,811 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,202 | 7,670 | 10,891 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,610 | 7,277 | 11,050 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,580 | 5,390 | 11,007 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,135 | 7,051 | 9,273 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,293 | 4,696 | 10,298 | |
| 1964 | D | 5,910 | 3,666 | 9,594 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,695 | 4,784 | 8,532 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,848 | 3,804 | 7,663 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,351 | 4,858 | 8,226 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,995 | 1,013 | 5,310 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,066 | 712 | 4,379 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,405 | 906 | 4,323 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,109 | 451 | 3,582 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,029 | 369 | 3,437 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,098 | 2,143 | 3,248 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,446 | 507 | 2,041 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,279 | 352 | 1,679 | |
| 1916 | D | 908 | 80 | 1,038 | |
| 1912 | D | 554 | 26 | 696 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Anchored by Plainview on the South Plains, Hale County recorded an R+57.9 presidential margin in 2024, reflecting a heavily rural, agricultural electorate that has shifted decisively rightward over the past two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Hale County peaked at eighty points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of thirty-three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Hale County's median household income of $51,897 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Bailey County and Victoria County.