Although Monroe County has voted mostly for the Democratic candidate since 1992, it is a competitive county in presidential elections; it was won by the Democratic Party by margins of 5% in 2008 and 0.5% in 2004.
On July 17, 2014, a County Court judge ruled the state's ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional, ordering the county Clerk of Court to issue marriage licenses on July 22, 2014.