page_title: Highland County, Virginia
section_title: Government and politics
hierarchical_section_title: Highland County, Virginia / Government and politics
caption_attribution_description: English: Map showing the results of the 2016 presidential election in Highland County, Virginia by Precinct.
context_page_description: Highland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,321, in 2018, the population was estimated at 2,210. Its county seat is Monterey. Known as "Virginia's Switzerland" or "Virginia's Little Switzerland", Highland County is the least populous county in Virginia. Highland lays claim to being one of the least populous counties and one of the highest average elevations east of the Mississippi River.
context_section_description: The local government of Highland County consists of a three-member Board of Supervisors who are elected at-large to serve four-year terms.  Three magisterial districts divide the county, which are, from west to east, Blue Grass, Monterey, and Stonewall.  The Board of Supervisors oversees all "legislative and administrative affairs of the county."  A chief administrative officer of the county is selected from the three members of the Board.  The Board of Supervisors also appoints a county administrator who handles the implementation of county policies and ordinances.  In addition to the Board of Supervisors, other elected members of the county government include the "County Treasurer, the Commissioner of Revenue, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the Commonwealth Attorney, and the County Sheriff."  Monterey, the county seat, is an incorporated town and thus has its own government officials consisting of a town council and a mayor.
  Highland County levies a 1% sales tax, a 1.5% personal property tax, a 1% machinery and tools tax, and a .37% real estate tax.  46% of the county's total revenue in 2010 was derived from local taxes, of which 76% was accounted for in property tax levies.  The remaining 54% of the county's revenue was from state and federal sources.
  Highland County has historically been one of the most consistently reliable strongholds for the Republican Party in national elections, voting for the Republican candidate for U.S. President in every election since 1936.  Also, since the 1989 Virginia Gubernatorial Election, the county has voted for the Republican candidate.  Currently, Highland County is located in Virginia's 6th congressional district which is represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Ben Cline.  The county, along with the rest of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.  Highland County is located in the 25th Senate of Virginia district represented by Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and the 20th Virginia House of Delegates district represented by Republican Richard P. Bell.
  The county is a dry county, meaning the "on-premises sale of liquor by the drink" is prohibited.  Highland is the northernmost of ten dry counties in Virginia.
  Presidential elections results
caption: Map showing the results of the 2016 presidential election in Highland County, Virginia by Precinct.
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