Kalkaska, Michigan — Presidential Election Results

Kalkaska, Michigan has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 42.1 pts more Rep. than Michigan overall.

Jump to year: 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012 · 2016 · 2020 · 2024

Full Election History, 2000–2024

Year Winner Party Votes Vote Share Margin Total Votes Cast Swing Vs. Michigan
2000 George W. Bush Republican 3,842 56.1% 15.6 pts (1,068 votes) 6,849 — 21.4 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 5,084 60.7% 22.6 pts (1,895 votes) 8,380 -6.8 pts 26.4 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 4,527 53.3% 8.8 pts (747 votes) 8,499 +13.9 pts 25.7 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 4,901 59.1% 19.6 pts (1,629 votes) 8,299 -10.9 pts 29.5 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 6,116 69.2% 43.4 pts (3,836 votes) 8,833 -25.8 pts 45.5 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 7,436 69.9% 41.7 pts (4,434 votes) 10,631 +3.2 pts 45.3 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 8,149 70.7% 42.9 pts (4,943 votes) 11,529 -1.1 pts 42.1 pts more Rep.

Population Context

Total Census Bureau population estimate for the county that year, and recorded votes as a share of that total population. This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Year County Population Votes Cast (% of Population)
2000 16,640 41.2% of population
2004 17,400 48.2% of population
2008 17,546 48.4% of population
2012 17,101 48.5% of population
2016 17,263 51.2% of population
2020 17,929 59.3% of population
2024 18,618 61.9% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Kalkaska shifted 27.4 points toward the Republican candidate, based on recorded county returns. This reflects the vote totals in this dataset only; no claim is made here about the causes of that shift.

Margin Over Time

Democratic candidate's margin (percentage points, two-party vote share). Positive values favor the Democratic candidate; negative values favor the Republican candidate.

2000: R+16.1 pts 2004: R+22.9 pts 2008: R+9.0 pts 2012: R+19.9 pts 2016: R+45.7 pts 2020: R+42.5 pts 2024: R+43.5 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Kalkaska has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Michigan's own statewide winner in 2 of 7 (29%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Michigan Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Kalkaska voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Kalkaska has voted Democratic in 0 of 7 recorded presidential elections and Republican in 7 of 7, based on county-level returns through 2024.

What was the closest presidential election in Kalkaska?

Kalkaska's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 9.0 points (747 votes) out of 8,499 total votes cast.

Has Kalkaska ever flipped between parties?

Not in the 2000-2024 record on this page -- Kalkaska has voted for the same party in every recorded presidential election in that span.

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Kalkaska?

The widest margin on record for Kalkaska was in 2016, when Donald Trump (Republican) won by 45.7 points.

How many votes were cast in Kalkaska relative to its population?

In 2024, 11,529 votes were recorded in Kalkaska against a total population of 18,618 (61.9% of the total population). This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Is Kalkaska a presidential bellwether county?

Kalkaska has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Michigan's own statewide winner in 2 of 7 (29%).