| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 8,321 | 22,319 | 31,020 | |
| 2020 | R | 8,381 | 20,895 | 29,702 | |
| 2016 | R | 7,257 | 18,569 | 26,971 | |
| 2012 | R | 9,090 | 16,718 | 26,707 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,618 | 15,414 | 25,401 | |
| 2004 | R | 8,002 | 14,048 | 22,223 | |
| 2000 | R | 7,145 | 11,225 | 18,829 | |
| 1996 | R | 7,300 | 7,382 | 16,987 | |
| 1992 | R | 6,590 | 6,724 | 15,701 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,734 | 7,391 | 13,261 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,903 | 7,684 | 12,762 | |
| 1980 | D | 5,685 | 4,993 | 11,090 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,439 | 3,532 | 10,199 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,273 | 4,674 | 7,110 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,025 | 3,036 | 8,308 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,447 | 2,279 | 5,737 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,924 | 2,080 | 5,016 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,142 | 2,125 | 4,354 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,012 | 1,976 | 4,026 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,343 | 1,100 | 2,813 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,002 | 1,206 | 3,224 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,037 | 925 | 2,968 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,285 | 975 | 3,272 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,245 | 812 | 3,077 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,861 | 1,529 | 3,390 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,902 | 1,077 | 2,993 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,765 | 1,381 | 3,151 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,481 | 1,094 | 2,582 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,238 | 415 | 2,262 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,218 | 1,101 | 2,320 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,166 | 874 | 2,081 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,785 | 1,702 | 3,519 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,305 | 1,711 | 4,024 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,262 | 1,178 | 3,962 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Franklin County's R+45.3 margin in 2024 places it among Virginia's most one-sided presidential electorates, reflecting its rural Piedmont character and a population that skews older, white, and non-college compared with the state's urban corridors.
The Democratic margin in Franklin County peaked at forty-seven points in 1932. By 1984 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-five points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Franklin County's median household income of $68,849 sits well below state and national norms, and 13% 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 Larue County and Hardy County.