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Determining the states with the least similar voting preferences in American presidential elections is not straight forward. Many states did not gain statehood until later in the country’s history so there is less data on them. Furthermore, some Southern states were not allowed electoral votes during and after the Civil War. There are three pairs of states that have arguments for being the states with the least similar presidential preferences.
- Lowest percentage of voting similarly: Vermont and Alabama
- Most times not voting for the same presidential candidate: Vermont and South Carolina
- Fewest times voting for the same presidential candidate: Minnesota and Alaska
Lowest percentage of voting similarly
Alabama has voted in 50 different presidential contests, all of which Vermont took part in as well. However, in just 7 elections did these states vote for the same presidential candidates. Therefore, the voted only 14% of the time for the same candidates. The pair of Mississippi and Vermont is not far different at 14.3% of the time for the same candidates. The Southern states once allowed slavery, but in contrast, Vermont was the first state to ban slavery. Vermont is known for its progressive politics, while Alabama and Mississippi are far more conservative. Furthermore, Vermont is one of the least religious states, while Southern states tend to be the most religious in the country. Both Mississippi and Vermont have a history of voting for independent and third-party candidates in the past, contributing to their dissimilarity.
Most times not voting for the same presidential candidate
Vermont and South Carolina have voted for the same presidential candidates in 24.1% of the contests. However, Mississippi and Alabama did not have electoral votes until 1820, so Vermont and South Carolina were in 7 more contests. As a result, these states had more opportunities not to vote for the same candidates. In fact, these states voted in every presidential election, except for South Carolina in 1864 near the end Civil War. Of those 58 elections, Vermont and South Carolina did not vote for the same presidential candidate 44 times. The next highest is Alabama and Vermont. They disagreed in 43 elections. Like Mississippi and Alabama, South Carolina is an extremely conservative state located in the Southeast region of the country.
Fewest times voting for the same presidential candidate
Alaska had electoral votes in presidential races since 1960. Minnesota and Alaska have voted for the same candidates in just two presidential elections. In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson won in a landslide. As a result, both Minnesota and Alaska voted for the Democratic candidate that year. In 1972 both states voted for the Republican candidate: Richard Nixon. He also won in a landslide that year. His opponent, George McGovern, only won one state: Massachusetts. In all the other elections since 1960, Minnesota preferred the Democratic candidate, while Alaska preferred the Republican candidate. Minnesota has a tradition of populism and progressive politics. Furthermore, two of the Democratic nominees for president, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, were from Minnesota, so they skewed the results.
Presidential Voting History
2020:
South Carolina: Donald Trump (R)
Alabama: Donald Trump (R)
Alaska: Donald Trump (R)
Minnesota: Joe Biden (D)
Vermont: Joe Biden (D)
2016:
South Carolina: Donald Trump (R)
Alabama: Donald Trump (R)
Alaska: Donald Trump (R)
Minnesota: Hillary Clinton (D)
Vermont: Hillary Clinton (D)
2012:
South Carolina: Mitt Romney (R)
Alabama: Mitt Romney (R)
Alaska: Mitt Romney (R)
Minnesota: Barack Obama (D)
Vermont: Barack Obama (D)
2008:
South Carolina: John McCain (R)
Alabama: John McCain (R)
Alaska: John McCain (R)
Minnesota: Barack Obama (D)
Vermont: Barack Obama (D)
2004:
South Carolina: George W. Bush (R)
Alabama: George W. Bush (R)
Alaska: George W. Bush (R)
Minnesota: John Kerry (D)
Vermont: John Kerry (D)
2000:
South Carolina: George W. Bush (R)
Alabama: George W. Bush (R)
Alaska: George W. Bush (R)
Minnesota: Al Gore (D)
Vermont: Al Gore (D)
1996:
South Carolina: Bob Dole (R)
Alabama: Bob Dole (R)
Alaska: Bob Dole (R)
Minnesota: Bill Clinton (D)
Vermont: Bill Clinton (D)
1992:
South Carolina: George H.W. Bush (R)
Alabama: George H.W. Bush (R)
Alaska: George H.W. Bush (R)
Minnesota: Bill Clinton (D)
Vermont: Bill Clinton (D)
1988:
South Carolina: George H.W. Bush (R)
Alabama: George H.W. Bush (R)
Alaska: George H.W. Bush (R)
Minnesota: Michael Dukakis (D)
Vermont: George H.W. Bush (R)
1984:
South Carolina: Ronald Reagan (R)
Alabama: Ronald Reagan (R)
Alaska: Ronald Reagan (R)
Minnesota: Walter Mondale (D)
Vermont: Ronald Reagan (R)
1980:
South Carolina: Ronald Reagan (R)
Alabama: Ronald Reagan (R)
Alaska: Ronald Reagan (R)
Minnesota: Jimmy Carter (D)
Vermont: Ronald Reagan (R)
1976:
South Carolina: Jimmy Carter (D)
Alabama: Jimmy Carter (D)
Alaska: Gerald Ford (R)
Minnesota: Jimmy Carter (D)
Vermont: Gerald Ford (R)
1972:
South Carolina: Richard Nixon (R)
Alabama: Richard Nixon (R)
Alaska: Richard Nixon (R)
Minnesota: Richard Nixon (R)
Vermont: Richard Nixon (R)
1968:
South Carolina: Richard Nixon (R)
Alabama: George Wallace (I)
Alaska: Richard Nixon (R)
Minnesota: Hubert Humphrey (D)
Vermont: Richard Nixon (R)
1964:
South Carolina: Barry Goldwater (R)
Alabama: Barry Goldwater (R)
Alaska: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
Minnesota: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
Vermont: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960:
South Carolina: John F. Kennedy (D)
Alabama: Harry Byrd (I)
Alaska: Richard Nixon (R)
Minnesota: John F. Kennedy (D)
Vermont: Richard Nixon (R)
1956:
South Carolina: Adlai Stevenson (D)
Alabama: Adlai Stevenson (D)
Minnesota: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
Vermont: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
1952:
South Carolina: Adlai Stevenson (D)
Alabama: Adlai Stevenson (D)
Minnesota: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
Vermont: Dwight Eisenhower (R)
1948:
South Carolina: Strom Thurmond (I)
Alabama: Strom Thurmond (I)
Minnesota: Harry S. Truman (D)
Vermont: Thomas E. Dewey (R)
1944:
South Carolina: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Alabama: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Minnesota: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Vermont: Herbert Hoover (R)
1940:
South Carolina: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Alabama: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Minnesota: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Vermont: Herbert Hoover (R)
1936:
South Carolina: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Alabama: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Minnesota: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Vermont: Herbert Hoover (R)
1932:
South Carolina: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Alabama: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Minnesota: Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
Vermont: Herbert Hoover (R)
1928:
South Carolina: Al Smith (D)
Alabama: Al Smith (D)
Minnesota: Herbert Hoover (R)
Vermont: Herbert Hoover (R)
1924:
South Carolina: John W. Davis (D)
Alabama: John W. Davis (D)
Minnesota: Calvin Coolidge (R)
Vermont: Calvin Coolidge (R)
1920:
South Carolina: James M. Cox (D)
Alabama: James M. Cox (D)
Minnesota: Warren G. Harding (R)
Vermont: Warren G. Harding (R)
1916:
South Carolina: Woodrow Wilson (D)
Alabama: Woodrow Wilson (D)
Minnesota: Charles Evans Hughes (R)
Vermont: Charles Evans Hughes (R)
1912:
South Carolina: Woodrow Wilson (D)
Alabama: Woodrow Wilson (D)
Minnesota: Theodore Roosevelt (P)
Vermont: William Howard Taft (R)
1908:
South Carolina: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Alabama: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Minnesota: William Howard Taft (R)
Vermont: William Howard Taft (R)
1904:
South Carolina: Alton Parker (D)
Alabama: Alton Parker (D)
Minnesota: Theodore Roosevelt (R)
Vermont: Theodore Roosevelt (R)
1900:
South Carolina: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Alabama: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Minnesota: William McKinley (R)
Vermont: William McKinley (R)
1896:
South Carolina: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Alabama: William Jennings Bryan (D)
Minnesota: William McKinley (R)
Vermont: William McKinley (R)
1892:
South Carolina: Grover Cleveland (D)
Alabama: Grover Cleveland (D)
Minnesota: Benjamin Harrison (R)
Vermont: Benjamin Harrison (R)
1888:
South Carolina: Grover Cleveland (D)
Alabama: Grover Cleveland (D)
Minnesota: Benjamin Harrison (R)
Vermont: Benjamin Harrison (R)
1884:
South Carolina: Grover Cleveland (D)
Alabama: Grover Cleveland (D)
Minnesota: James G. Blaine (R)
Vermont: James G. Blaine (R)
1880:
South Carolina: Winfield Scott Hancock (D)
Alabama: Winfield Scott Hancock (D)
Minnesota: James A. Garfield (R)
Vermont: James A. Garfield (R)
1876:
South Carolina: Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
Alabama: Samuel J. Tilden (D)
Minnesota: Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
Vermont: Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
1872:
South Carolina: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
Alabama: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
Minnesota: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
Vermont: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
1868:
South Carolina: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
Alabama: Mitt Romney (R)
Minnesota: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
Vermont: Ulysses S. Grant (R)
1864:
Minnesota: Abraham Lincoln (R)
Vermont: Abraham Lincoln (R)
1860:
South Carolina: John C. Breckinridge (SD)
Alabama: John C. Breckinridge (SD)
Minnesota: Abraham Lincoln (R)
Vermont: Abraham Lincoln (R)
1856:
South Carolina: James Buchanan (D)
Alabama: James Buchanan (D)
Vermont: John C. Frémont (R)
1852:
South Carolina: Franklin Pierce (D)
Alabama: Franklin Pierce (D)
Vermont: Winfield Scott (W)
1848:
South Carolina: Lewis Cass (D)
Alabama: Lewis Cass (D)
Vermont: Zachary Taylor (W)
1844:
South Carolina: James Polk (D)
Alabama: James Polk (D)
Vermont: Henry Clay (W)
1840:
South Carolina: Martin Van Buren (D)
Alabama: William Henry Harrison (W)
Vermont: William Henry Harrison (W)
1836:
South Carolina: Martin Van Buren (D)
Alabama: Martin Van Buren (D)
Vermont: William Henry Harrison (W)
1832:
South Carolina: John Floyd (N)
Alabama: Andrew Jackson (D)
Vermont: William Wirt (AM)
1828:
South Carolina: Andrew Jackson (D)
Alabama: Andrew Jackson (D)
Vermont: John Quincy Adams (NR)
1824:
South Carolina: Andrew Jackson (DR)
Alabama: Andrew Jackson (DR)
Vermont: John Quincy Adams (DR)
1820:
South Carolina: James Monroe (DR)
Alabama: James Monroe (DR)
Vermont: James Monroe (DR)
1816:
South Carolina: James Monroe (DR)
Vermont: James Monroe (DR)
1812:
South Carolina: James Madison (DR)
Vermont: James Madison (DR)
1808:
South Carolina: James Madison (DR)
Vermont: James Madison (DR)
1804:
South Carolina: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
Vermont: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
1800:
South Carolina: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
Vermont: John Adams (F)
1796:
South Carolina: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
Vermont: John Adams (F)
1792:
South Carolina: George Washington (I)
Vermont: George Washington (I)
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