| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 3,435 | 2,155 | 5,673 | |
| 2020 | D | 3,776 | 2,165 | 6,023 | |
| 2016 | D | 3,533 | 2,149 | 5,907 | |
| 2012 | D | 3,855 | 2,312 | 6,284 | |
| 2008 | D | 4,139 | 2,311 | 6,520 | |
| 2004 | D | 3,036 | 2,538 | 5,603 | |
| 2000 | D | 3,048 | 2,560 | 5,694 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,941 | 2,446 | 5,842 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,073 | 2,690 | 6,617 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,794 | 3,360 | 6,264 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,942 | 4,234 | 7,254 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,337 | 3,433 | 7,032 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,491 | 3,147 | 6,935 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,292 | 3,879 | 6,326 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,727 | 2,618 | 7,276 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,943 | 1,805 | 4,824 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,699 | 1,729 | 3,517 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,368 | 2,125 | 3,561 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,391 | 1,772 | 3,174 | |
| 1948 | D | 814 | 642 | 2,061 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,093 | 458 | 1,553 | |
| 1940 | D | 980 | 269 | 1,254 | |
| 1936 | D | 949 | 255 | 1,208 | |
| 1932 | D | 739 | 212 | 958 | |
| 1928 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1924 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Martinsville, once a hub for furniture and textile manufacturing, has shed thousands of jobs over decades and now ranks among Virginia's most economically distressed localities. Despite regional Republican trends, it returned a Democratic margin exceeding 22 points in 2024.
The Democratic margin in Martinsville city peaked at fifty-seven points in 1936. By 1992 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was twenty-three points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Martinsville city's median household income of $46,727 sits well below state and national norms, and 24% 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 Hampton city and Richmond County.