Botetourt County, Virginia is a small rural county located in the state's south-central region. It has a long history of political engagement from its citizens. Local politics in Botetourt County have been dominated by conservative principles for many years but recently there has been an increase in progressive activism and campaigns for more progressive candidates. Every two years, local elections are held where citizens can voice their opinions on the issues that matter to them most. The current Board of Supervisors is made up of five members who each serve four year terms and are responsible for setting the county's budget, approving zoning ordinances, and overseeing other administrative tasks. The Board is non-partisan but all five members are affiliated with the Republican Party. Additionally, citizens can participate in statewide races such as governor or attorney general during even numbered years. In the last few election cycles there has been an increased push by some residents to bring new ideas and perspectives to local government offices through progressive candidates and ballot initiatives. By participating in these elections, citizens have an opportunity to shape how their county functions and make sure that the voices of those who live here are heard at every level of government.
The political climate in Botetourt County, VA is very conservative.
In Botetourt County, VA 27.0% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 71.5% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.5% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Botetourt county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 71.5% to 27.0%.
Botetourt county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Botetourt County, VA is very conservative.
Roanoke Metro Area is somewhat conservative.
Virginia is somewhat liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Botetourt, Virginia: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Botetourt County, VA
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 523 contributions totaling $69,545 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $133 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 472 contributions totaling $74,448 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $158 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)