Elections
Palm Beach County has trended towards the Democratic Party since the 1992 presidential election.
It was the center of a nationwide media storm in 2000, when it appeared to have impacted the presidential election that year between eventual winner George W. Bush and Al Gore. A major source of controversy was the butterfly ballot used in Palm Beach County, which prompted many voters to later claim that they mistakenly voted for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore because of the design of the ballot. Buchanan had an unexpectedly strong showing in the county. In the end, Gore carried the county, but Bush captured the state by just 537 votes (out of nearly 5 million cast, a difference of .009%) after the recount was effectively halted by the US Supreme Court. (Bush vs. Gore)
| Year | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 58.20% 349,418 | 41.19% 247,257 |
| 2008 | 61.50% 342,527 | 37.90% 211,163 |
| 2004 | 60.35% 328,687 | 39.05% 212,688 |
| 2000 | 62.27% 269,754 | 35.31% 152,964 |
| 1996 | 58.06% 230,687 | 33.68% 133,811 |
| 1992 | 46.36% 187,869 | 34.63% 140,350 |
| 1988 | 44.07% 144,199 | 55.47% 181,495 |
| 1984 | 38.32% 116,091 | 61.67% 186,811 |
| 1980 | 36.37% 91,991 | 56.79% 143,639 |
| 1976 | 48.68% 96,705 | 49.45% 98,236 |
| 1972 | 27.18% 40,825 | 72.35% 108,670 |
| 1968 | 28.08% 32,837 | 53.19% 62,191 |
| 1964 | 46.91% 43,836 | 53.09% 49,614 |
| 1960 | 39.72% 29,871 | 60.28% 45,337 |
Read more about this topic: Palm Beach County, Florida
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