| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 170 | 861 | 1,040 | |
| 2020 | R | 197 | 823 | 1,028 | |
| 2016 | R | 154 | 682 | 864 | |
| 2012 | R | 171 | 665 | 849 | |
| 2008 | R | 295 | 712 | 1,018 | |
| 2004 | R | 331 | 761 | 1,103 | |
| 2000 | R | 334 | 642 | 990 | |
| 1996 | D | 490 | 443 | 1,043 | |
| 1992 | D | 553 | 354 | 1,277 | |
| 1988 | D | 614 | 552 | 1,171 | |
| 1984 | R | 394 | 725 | 1,125 | |
| 1980 | R | 489 | 548 | 1,050 | |
| 1976 | D | 543 | 441 | 1,000 | |
| 1972 | R | 273 | 644 | 921 | |
| 1968 | R | 362 | 491 | 971 | |
| 1964 | D | 588 | 397 | 985 | |
| 1960 | R | 491 | 608 | 1,099 | |
| 1956 | R | 318 | 614 | 932 | |
| 1952 | R | 399 | 843 | 1,242 | |
| 1948 | D | 663 | 283 | 996 | |
| 1944 | D | 776 | 96 | 1,122 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,153 | 246 | 1,400 | |
| 1936 | D | 734 | 115 | 853 | |
| 1932 | D | 901 | 150 | 1,053 | |
| 1928 | R | 234 | 589 | 823 | |
| 1924 | D | 304 | 247 | 578 | |
| 1920 | R | 197 | 203 | 426 | |
| 1916 | D | 267 | 44 | 343 | |
| 1912 | D | 109 | 15 | 200 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Menard's ranching economy and sparse settlement produce some of the most lopsided presidential tallies in the state — in 2024, the Republican margin exceeded 66 points in a county of roughly 2,300 residents.
The Democratic margin in Menard County peaked at seventy-three points in 1936. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-six points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Menard County's median household income of $53,043 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Comanche County and Baylor County.