Editing Franklin County, Missouri (section)

====Political culture====
{{PresHead|place=Franklin County, Missouri|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|40,126|14,694|879|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|38,058|14,569|1,156|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|35,430|12,341|2,701|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|29,396|16,347|1,186|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|27,355|21,256|847|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|26,429|18,556|333|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|21,863|16,172|1,159|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|13,715|13,908|6,111|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|11,477|13,431|11,156|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|16,611|11,891|108|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|18,669|8,319|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|15,210|10,480|1,142|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|12,242|11,695|405|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|13,785|7,464|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|9,823|7,566|1,960|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|8,313|13,464|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|11,610|10,324|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|11,605|8,391|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|11,367|8,610|27|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|7,725|7,822|38|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|9,325|5,958|43|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|10,283|7,237|35|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1936|Republican|7,708|7,565|647|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|5,369|8,479|144|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|7,831|5,429|32|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|6,253|3,384|906|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|8,712|2,814|207|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|4,325|2,468|142|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1912|Republican|2,424|2,239|932|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|4,049|2,423|175|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|3,738|2,278|122|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|3,686|2,652|73|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|3,797|2,904|24|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|2,987|2,498|218|Missouri}}
{{PresFoot|1888|Republican|3,261|2,579|41|Missouri}}

At the presidential level, Franklin County is fairly independent-leaning, but, like many exurban and mostly rural counties, its voters often favor Republican and conservative issues. While southerner [[Bill Clinton]] narrowly carried the county both times in 1992 and 1996, [[George W. Bush]] strongly carried Franklin County in 2000 and 2004. Like many of the rural counties in Missouri, Franklin County favored [[John McCain]] over [[Barack Obama]] in 2008.

Like most predominantly rural areas, voters in Franklin County generally strongly support socially and culturally [[Conservatism|conservative]] principles and therefore tend to support Republican candidates. In 2004, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2004)|a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman]]; the measure overwhelmingly passed Franklin County with 76.89 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Missouri Marriage Definition, Amendment 2 (August 2004)|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Marriage_Definition,_Amendment_2_(August_2004)|website=Ballotpedia|language=en|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

In 2006, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2006)|a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state]]; it failed in Franklin County with 56.13 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve [[Embryonic stem cell|embryonic stem cell research]].

Despite Franklin County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters have advanced some [[Populism|populist]] causes such as increasing the [[minimum wage]]. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour; it passed Franklin County with 77.61 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

'''2020 Missouri Presidential primary'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Election Summary Report|url=https://www.franklinmo.org/vertical/sites/%7B5730E807-248F-430C-88E4-9222B8E63B07%7D/uploads/PRESIDENTIALPRIMARY.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016222855/https://www.franklinmo.org/vertical/sites/%7B5730E807-248F-430C-88E4-9222B8E63B07%7D/uploads/PRESIDENTIALPRIMARY.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |url-status=live|date=March 17, 2020|website=Franklin County, Missouri|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref>

'''Republican'''

President [[Donald Trump]] won Franklin County with 97.35 percent of the vote; all other Republican candidates received less than 1 percent of the vote.

'''Democratic'''

Forty-seventh Vice President [[Joe Biden]] won Franklin County with 59 percent of the vote; U.S. Senator [[Bernie Sanders]] (I-Vermont) came in second with 35.03 percent.