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Election maps
12 November 2012 12:45Several of you have pointed out the neat election maps at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2012/. If you haven't yet go check them out, I'll wait.
I agree with his point that the standard red vs blue maps mask a lot of what's really going on because our population is not evenly distributed and states and counties aren't really all red or all blue. I think his "purple" maps overcorrect though. While places aren't all red or blue, most counties are mostly one or the other - there is a real divide out there. He is mapping counties that having a 60%/40% split as purple and in my mind that isn't all that close.
So, I've made a new map. I've taken the difference between the percentage voting republican and the percentage voting democratic and averaged them over the last 3 elections. The counties that have a fairly even divide I've colored yellow so they stand out more - and note there aren't all that many of them. People living in what I've colored the deep red and deep blue counties are mostly surrounded by others with like views and probably don't encounter the opposing viewpoint in their day to day lives.
( Nifty map is under the cut )
I agree with his point that the standard red vs blue maps mask a lot of what's really going on because our population is not evenly distributed and states and counties aren't really all red or all blue. I think his "purple" maps overcorrect though. While places aren't all red or blue, most counties are mostly one or the other - there is a real divide out there. He is mapping counties that having a 60%/40% split as purple and in my mind that isn't all that close.
So, I've made a new map. I've taken the difference between the percentage voting republican and the percentage voting democratic and averaged them over the last 3 elections. The counties that have a fairly even divide I've colored yellow so they stand out more - and note there aren't all that many of them. People living in what I've colored the deep red and deep blue counties are mostly surrounded by others with like views and probably don't encounter the opposing viewpoint in their day to day lives.
( Nifty map is under the cut )