Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Cartogram - New York Times election map

 
According to the New York Times, who published this map from the United States Election Project at George Mason University, this cartogram “shows each state re-sized in proportion to the relative influence of the individual voters who live there.”  Cartograms, by definition, substitutes land area or distance with a  thematic mapping variable.  In this case, the thematic mapping variable is the influence of voters in an area, as determined by the total delegates to the Electoral College from each state, and how many eligible voters a single delegate from each state represents.  According to this cartogram, if you live in Wyoming, North Dakota, Vermont, or Washington D.C., your vote carries more weight in your own state, compared to individuals in other states, such as California or Florida.  However, this map can be a bit misleading, as California and Florida as states both carry a lot more weight in the presidential election than Wyoming or North Dakota.

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