Knox County · Presidential elections
Knox County in presidential elections, 1852-2024
Knox County has voted in 44 presidential elections in this record, from 1852 to 2024. It went Republican 35 times and Democratic 9 times. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, 15 in a row; the last Democrat to carry it was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, by 21.5 points. In 2024 Donald J Trump won it with 71.99% of the vote, a 44.9-point margin over Kamala D Harris. Measured as the Republican share minus the Democratic share, the county was 33.7 points more Republican than Ohio, and it ranked 43rd of 88 counties from most Republican to most Democratic.
What 44 elections add up to
Each line is worked out from the table further down. "Margin" there is the winner's share minus the runner-up's; "lean" is the Republican share minus the Democratic share.
- With the nation
- Knox County voted for the candidate who won the presidency in 28 of 44 elections, 42nd among Ohio's 88 counties by that count (tied with 5 others). The most recent miss was 2020, when it voted for Donald J Trump and the country elected Joe Biden.
- With Ohio
- It voted the same way as Ohio as a whole in 32 of 44 elections. The last time it parted from the state was 2012: Mitt Romney carried the county, Barack H. Obama carried Ohio.
- Years it changed sides
- The party carrying the county changed 11 times: in 1856, 1876, 1884, 1892, 1900, 1912, 1920, 1936, 1940, 1964 and 1968.
- Closest result
- 1884: James G. Blaine (Republican) over Grover Cleveland by 0.59 points, 43 votes.
- Widest result
- 1928: Herbert Hoover (Republican) with 73.07%, 46.8 points ahead of Al Smith.
- Biggest move toward the Republicans
- From 1964 to 1968 the margin moved 41.8 points toward the Republicans, from D+21.5 to R+20.3. Lean counts only the two major parties; George Wallace (American Independent) took 10.3% in 1968.
- Biggest move toward the Democrats
- From 1960 to 1964 the margin moved 53.3 points toward the Democrats, from R+31.9 to D+21.5.
- Outside the two parties
- H. Ross Perot (Independent) took 24.29% in 1992, 5,282 votes, the largest share any candidate outside the two major parties has won in the county.
- Where it stands among the 88
- Ranked by margin each year, from most Republican (1st) to most Democratic, the county stood highest in 1952 (16th of 88, R+38.1) and lowest in 1896 (59th of 88, D+3.8). Since 2000 it has moved from 18th to 43rd.
- Votes and turnout
- 4,792 votes were counted for president in 1852 and 32,104 in 2024. Turnout in 2024 was 74.21% of registered voters, 38th among the 88 counties (Ohio: 71.71%).
Every election at a glance
One bar per election, oldest at the left; bar height is the winning margin, color the winner's party. The dot rows mark the years the county matched Ohio's winner and the nation's. Each bar opens that year's full count.
The numbers behind this figure, as a table
| Year | Winner | Party | Margin | Matched Ohio's winner | Matched the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | D | 17.1 points | matched | matched |
| 1856 | John C. Frémont | R | 5.6 points | matched | missed |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | R | 14.4 points | matched | matched |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | NU | 6.5 points | matched | matched |
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant | R | 2.5 points | matched | matched |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | R | 0.8 points | matched | matched |
| 1876 | Samuel J. Tilden | D | 2.3 points | missed | missed |
| 1880 | Winfield Scott Hancock | D | 0.6 points | missed | missed |
| 1884 | James G. Blaine | R | 0.6 points | matched | missed |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | R | 0.8 points | matched | matched |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | D | 2.0 points | missed | matched |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan | D | 3.8 points | missed | missed |
| 1900 | William McKinley | R | 2.7 points | matched | matched |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt | R | 15.9 points | matched | matched |
| 1908 | William Howard Taft | R | 1.0 points | matched | matched |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | D | 14.0 points | matched | matched |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | D | 11.1 points | matched | matched |
| 1920 | Warren G. Harding | R | 12.4 points | matched | matched |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge | R | 21.4 points | matched | matched |
| 1928 | Herbert Hoover | R | 46.8 points | matched | matched |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover | R | 8.2 points | missed | missed |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | D | 2.2 points | matched | matched |
| 1940 | Wendell Willkie | R | 18.5 points | missed | missed |
| 1944 | Thomas E. Dewey | R | 28.3 points | matched | missed |
| 1948 | Thomas E. Dewey | R | 16.9 points | missed | missed |
| 1952 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | R | 38.1 points | matched | matched |
| 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | R | 42.7 points | matched | matched |
| 1960 | Richard Nixon | R | 31.9 points | matched | missed |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | D | 21.5 points | matched | matched |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon | R | 20.3 points | matched | matched |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon | R | 31.9 points | matched | matched |
| 1976 | Gerald Ford | R | 11.3 points | missed | missed |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan | R | 20.9 points | matched | matched |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | R | 41.9 points | matched | matched |
| 1988 | George H.W. Bush | R | 27.6 points | matched | matched |
| 1992 | George H.W. Bush | R | 8.2 points | missed | missed |
| 1996 | Robert Dole | R | 12.9 points | missed | missed |
| 2000 | George W. Bush | R | 29.5 points | matched | matched |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | R | 26.8 points | matched | matched |
| 2008 | John McCain | R | 19.9 points | missed | missed |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney | R | 23.9 points | missed | missed |
| 2016 | Donald Trump | R | 38.2 points | matched | matched |
| 2020 | Donald J Trump | R | 43.8 points | matched | missed |
| 2024 | Donald J Trump | R | 44.9 points | matched | matched |
Year by year, 1852 to 2024
Newest first. Rank is the county's place among Ohio's counties that year from most Republican (1) to most Democratic, by lean. Lincoln's 1864 National Union ticket is counted as Republican and Horace Greeley's 1872 Liberal Republican ticket, which the Democrats also nominated, as Democratic; 1852 had no Republican ticket, so it has no lean or rank.
| Year | Carried by | Party | Share | Runner-up | Margin | Lean | Ohio | Rank | With Ohio | With the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Donald J Trump | Republican | 71.99% | Kamala D Harris | 44.9 | R+44.9 | R+11.2 | 43 | Yes | Yes |
| 2020 | Donald J Trump | Republican | 71.15% | Joseph R Biden Jr. | 43.8 | R+43.8 | R+8.0 | 40 | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Donald Trump | Republican | 66.69% | Hillary Clinton | 38.2 | R+38.2 | R+8.1 | 45 | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney | Republican | 60.82% | Barack Obama | 23.9 | R+23.9 | D+3.0 | 25 | No | No |
| 2008 | John McCain | Republican | 58.94% | Barack Obama | 19.9 | R+19.9 | D+4.6 | 29 | No | No |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | Republican | 63.11% | John Kerry | 26.8 | R+26.8 | R+2.1 | 29 | Yes | Yes |
| 2000 | George W. Bush | Republican | 63% | Al Gore | 29.4 | R+29.4 | R+3.5 | 18 | Yes | Yes |
| 1996 | Robert Dole | Republican | 50.62% | Bill Clinton | 12.9 | R+12.9 | D+6.4 | 19 | No | No |
| 1992 | George H.W. Bush | Republican | 41.59% | Bill Clinton | 8.2 | R+8.2 | D+1.8 | 40 | No | No |
| 1988 | George H.W. Bush | Republican | 63.44% | Michael Dukakis | 27.6 | R+27.6 | R+10.8 | 36 | Yes | Yes |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | 70.66% | Walter F. Mondale | 41.9 | R+41.9 | R+18.8 | 32 | Yes | Yes |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan | Republican | 57.07% | Jimmy Carter | 20.9 | R+20.9 | R+10.6 | 44 | Yes | Yes |
| 1976 | Gerald Ford | Republican | 54.39% | Jimmy Carter | 11.3 | R+11.3 | D+0.2 | 32 | No | No |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon | Republican | 63.95% | George McGovern | 31.9 | R+31.9 | R+21.6 | 52 | Yes | Yes |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon | Republican | 55.01% | Hubert Humphrey | 20.3 | R+20.3 | R+2.3 | 31 | Yes | Yes |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic | 60.73% | Barry Goldwater | 21.5 | D+21.5 | D+25.9 | 54 | Yes | Yes |
| 1960 | Richard Nixon | Republican | 65.94% | John F. Kennedy | 31.9 | R+31.9 | R+6.6 | 20 | Yes | No |
| 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Republican | 71.35% | Adlai E. Stevenson | 42.7 | R+42.7 | R+22.2 | 17 | Yes | Yes |
| 1952 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Republican | 69.05% | Adlai Stevenson | 38.1 | R+38.1 | R+13.5 | 16 | Yes | Yes |
| 1948 | Thomas E. Dewey | Republican | 58.33% | Harry S. Truman | 16.9 | R+16.9 | D+0.2 | 23 | No | No |
| 1944 | Thomas E. Dewey | Republican | 64.13% | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 28.3 | R+28.3 | R+0.4 | 23 | Yes | No |
| 1940 | Wendell Willkie | Republican | 59.27% | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 18.5 | R+18.5 | D+4.4 | 25 | No | No |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Democratic | 49.97% | Alf Landon | 2.2 | D+2.2 | D+20.6 | 26 | Yes | Yes |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover | Republican | 53.42% | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 8.2 | R+8.2 | D+2.9 | 16 | No | No |
| 1928 | Herbert Hoover | Republican | 73.07% | Al Smith | 46.8 | R+46.8 | R+30.4 | 24 | Yes | Yes |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge | Republican | 57.43% | John W. Davis | 21.4 | R+21.4 | R+34.6 | 57 | Yes | Yes |
| 1920 | Warren G. Harding | Republican | 55.98% | James M. Cox | 12.4 | R+12.4 | R+19.9 | 58 | Yes | Yes |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | Democratic | 54.61% | Charles Evans Hughes | 11.1 | D+11.1 | D+7.7 | 56 | Yes | Yes |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | Democratic | 46.01% | William Howard Taft | 14.0 | D+14.0 | D+14.1 | 46 | Yes | Yes |
| 1908 | William Howard Taft | Republican | 49.09% | William Jennings Bryan | 1.0 | R+1.0 | R+6.2 | 55 | Yes | Yes |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt | Republican | 56.17% | Alton B. Parker | 15.9 | R+15.9 | R+25.4 | 52 | Yes | Yes |
| 1900 | William McKinley | Republican | 50.56% | William Jennings Bryan | 2.7 | R+2.7 | R+6.6 | 57 | Yes | Yes |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan | Democratic | 51.52% | William McKinley | 3.8 | D+3.8 | R+4.8 | 59 | No | No |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | Democratic | 47.93% | Benjamin Harrison | 1.9 | D+1.9 | R+0.1 | 52 | No | Yes |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | Republican | 48.68% | Grover Cleveland | 0.8 | R+0.8 | R+2.3 | 51 | Yes | Yes |
| 1884 | James G. Blaine | Republican | 49.03% | Grover Cleveland | 0.6 | R+0.6 | R+4.0 | 53 | Yes | No |
| 1880 | Winfield Scott Hancock | Democratic | 49.43% | James A. Garfield | 0.6 | D+0.6 | R+4.7 | 53 | No | No |
| 1876 | Samuel J. Tilden | Democratic | 50.44% | Rutherford B. Hayes | 2.3 | D+2.3 | R+1.1 | 50 | No | No |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican | 49.44% | Horace Greeley | 0.8 | R+0.8 | R+7.1 | 53 | Yes | Yes |
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant | Republican | 51.25% | Horatio Seymour | 2.5 | R+2.5 | R+8.0 | 51 | Yes | Yes |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | National Union | 53.25% | George B. McClellan | 6.5 | R+6.5 | R+12.7 | 47 | Yes | Yes |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | Republican | 51.48% | Stephen A. Douglas | 14.4 | R+14.4 | R+10.0 | 38 | Yes | Yes |
| 1856 | John C. Frémont | Republican | 51.64% | James Buchanan | 5.6 | R+5.6 | R+4.3 | 42 | Yes | No |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | Democratic | 56.18% | Winfield Scott | 17.1 | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
Turnout, 1996-2024
Ballots cast in the November general election per registered voter, as the Ohio Secretary of State reports them. This record holds county turnout from 1996 on.
| Year | Registered | Ballots cast | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 43,785 | 32,493 | 74.21% |
| 2020 | 42,320 | 31,595 | 74.66% |
| 2016 | 40,590 | 29,278 | 72.13% |
| 2012 | 42,674 | 28,692 | 67.24% |
| 2008 | 38,846 | 28,571 | 73.55% |
| 2004 | 36,972 | 27,302 | 73.85% |
| 2000 | 35,140 | 21,488 | 61.15% |
| 1996 | 29,675 | 20,365 | 68.63% |
Sources
Data from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0: 1852 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1856 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1860 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1864 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1868 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1872 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1876 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1880 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1884 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1888 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1892 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1896 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1900 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1904 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1908 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1912 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1916 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1920 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1924 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1928 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1932 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1936 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1940 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1944 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1948 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1952 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1956 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1960 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1964 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1968 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1972 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1976 United States presidential election in Ohio · 1980 United States presidential election in Ohio
- oh_1984_general_president_county.xlsx -- Ohio Secretary of State Past Election Results portal · Ohio Secretary of State · 1984-11-06 · accessed 2026-09-17
- County Presidential Election Returns 2000-2024 (V20) · MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL), Harvard Dataverse · 2000-11-07 · accessed 2026-09-17
- U.S. Electoral College results by year · National Archives and Records Administration
Cite and data
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Cracked Buckeye, "Knox County in presidential elections, 1852-2024", https://crackedbuckeye.com/county/knox/president/, built 2026-10-19, accessed [date].
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