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Ever wondered what the 2016 U.S. Presidential election would look like if we mapped every single vote? That’s exactly what this dasymetric dot density map does—offering a fresh, more accurate way to visualize the election results.
Instead of using traditional county boundaries (which often distort visual representation due to large, sparsely populated areas), this map takes a different approach.
A dasymetric dot density thematic map represents quantitative (numerical) data by using dots to show the amount of the mapped phenomena. Each dot represents a single vote—over 130 million dots in total!
🔴 Red dots = Republican votes 🔵 Blue dots = Democratic votes
The dasymetric approach does not use typical geographies to display population data (such as counties). Here, the election data has been spatially classified using ancillary data to reapportion from one geographic area to another. Voting results at the county level are weighted into three urban area classifications (dense urban; urban; and rural) based on the National Land Cover Database classification. The map shows voting patterns as a density of dots in areas where people live and work and overcomes the problem of simply mapping arbitrary geographies, often where no-one lives (or votes!). The knock-on impact is that we see a true pattern emerge which doesn’t distort the visual weight of the relative proportions of red and blue simply by virtue of the size of a geographical area. Dots are positioned randomly within the confines of the extent of the three land use classes and they DO NOT imply the location of individual voters.
The overall effect allows us to see areas where people predominantly vote Republican, or predominantly vote Democrat or where there is a relatively even mix of voting. In the latter case, our eyes deceive us as we tend to see a purple hue because of the proximity of the red and blue dots. The purple hue tends towards red where Republicans won, and towards blue where Democrats won.
This map challenges the way we traditionally see election results and offers a true-to-life perspective of how America voted in 2016. The patterns you see aren’t just about geography; they’re about where people actually live and vote.
