Hi Chronicleiris----
Just saw this thread, and as someone who likes to spend some time delving into the weeds of precinct level returns, wanted to bump this thread.
So to break your question into two parts:
1.) I am assuming you are directly talking about Atlas posting precinct level results for 2004 for paid subscribers and institutions. Although, unfortunately am a few decades removed from academia and can't afford a paid membership, this is definitely one of the awesome services that Dave provides as part of his business model, with us Forum posters basically humble guests.
A.) Although I can't speak for Dave, my understanding is that in general elections prior to '08 were much more difficult to obtain precinct level data from for many states, and even harder in any type of easily convertible file format to make it easily accessible within a standardized format.
B.) Unfortunately as I don't have access, I may be wrong on the ease of accessibility for precinct results on the Forum for '08-'16.
2.) There are precinct level results available for 34/50 states for '04 that I have found in various locations online, and there may be some individual county level precinct results available for those states where there is not a statewide dataset available.
Here is a map of states where I have been able to locate '04 Presidential level precinct results from. Note for the sake of simplicity, I have allowed breakdowns by Towns/Townships in New England to qualify as "precincts", although I believe that some of these states might even have further detailed breakdown not available.
The format of this data varies wildly from the virtually unreadable (Delaware) to states where one can simply pull out an Excel spreadsheet!!!!
I must have spent 30+ hours after the '04 GE pouring through precinct level returns from Ohio, looking for any voting discrepancies explainable as a result of voting machine malfeasance (And no I didn't find anything that fit the conspiracy theory floating around of voting machines being hacked to reelect George W. Bush
)
*** I have included Oregon on the list, although currently I am missing precinct level results for 10/36 counties in Oregon.
Anyone with '04 Oregon precinct results for Clackamas, Columbia, Crook, Grant, Jackson, Lake, Morrow, Tillamook, Union, or Wallowa, please PM me, and I'll see if I can offer you any data in barter for your time
Also, missing '96 precinct results for all of Oregon, meaning I have precinct data for 7 out of the last 8 Presidential elections for the vase majority of counties in Oregon--- 28 years of elections!
