Comments | mayica: Another kind election-results map

mayica

Another kind election-results map

Nov 13, 2008 08:20

The problem with maps coloring the US red or blue is they don't show how many people live in the different areas. You've seen cartograms:

( Read more... )

election, data geeking

Comments 4

ffoeg November 13 2008, 15:41:10 UTC

Does the brightness indicate the absolute total population of the county, or is it population density? That blue big county in So Cal (San Bernardino?) is pretty bright, but I wonder if the intensity is controlled for size. I think density would be better, but my guess is that they just used the absolute population.

grr_plus1 November 15 2008, 14:26:11 UTC

I immediately noticed San Berdoo as well (confusing it at first with San Diego, which is also huge and oddly shaped).

It's also striking how Orange County is a shining beacon of GOP floating in a sea of Blue.

mayica November 13 2008, 15:46:18 UTC

You're right, it is total population. I posted pretty quickly this morning, and hadn't thought about it. In the comment thread, they've got a density based map as well:

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ffoeg November 13 2008, 16:15:41 UTC

That's *much* better, imo.

I've been mulling a kind of map like this, but would show the total of all federal votes (i.e., president+senator+house). So Middlesex County, MA would max out on blue, because it voted for Obama, Frank (or whoever), Kerry, but Montana split its votes for the Republican House member and Baucus.