| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 5,429 | 11,742 | 17,358 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,672 | 11,041 | 17,005 | |
| 2016 | R | 5,057 | 9,719 | 15,396 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,900 | 8,876 | 14,970 | |
| 2008 | R | 6,094 | 8,470 | 14,700 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,866 | 7,758 | 12,695 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,812 | 6,660 | 11,712 | |
| 1996 | R | 4,864 | 5,094 | 10,924 | |
| 1992 | R | 4,101 | 5,482 | 10,908 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,567 | 6,507 | 10,151 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,409 | 7,004 | 10,530 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,476 | 5,088 | 8,840 | |
| 1976 | R | 3,675 | 3,956 | 7,776 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,512 | 4,909 | 6,639 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,543 | 2,656 | 6,674 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,730 | 2,675 | 5,410 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,280 | 1,455 | 3,747 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,933 | 1,529 | 3,590 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,078 | 1,407 | 3,500 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,481 | 460 | 2,466 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,585 | 442 | 3,039 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,048 | 292 | 2,347 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,734 | 236 | 1,976 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,764 | 195 | 1,980 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,442 | 447 | 1,889 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,092 | 129 | 1,327 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,094 | 168 | 1,270 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,142 | 93 | 1,247 | |
| 1912 | D | 765 | 64 | 897 | |
| 1908 | D | 849 | 164 | 1,015 | |
| 1904 | D | 878 | 177 | 1,059 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,516 | 990 | 2,528 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,751 | 1,190 | 2,955 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,666 | 1,190 | 2,973 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Amherst sits along Virginia's Blue Ridge foothills with a population under 32,000, and its presidential margins have grown increasingly lopsided — the 2024 gap of 36.5 points reflects a rural realignment pattern common across Southside and Piedmont Virginia.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Amherst County peaked at eighty-four points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1968 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of seventeen points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Amherst County's median household income of $68,724 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Highlands County and Logan County.