Election Maps
Everything that makes a good election map neatly wrapped up into one article.
Making a good map is pretty easy around election time. The boundaries are easy to take and use and it doesn’t hurt to produce the same map as everyone else.
I’ve been saving almost every election map / visualisation I’ve seen over the past week to note down the attributes which produce a successful (in my opinion) election map. This is my attempt to breakdown those components so that in the next election you have a chance at making a better map.
This article contains all my own views, not that of friends, family or my work. It is intended to offer ideas and suggestions for mapping an election. The following maps have sources and links where possible.
Keep them simple
Election maps are a great chance to use big bold symbols as sometimes the detail doesn’t matter when people are glancing at a map or looking for their local result.
For this reason the Cartogram has taken off as a means of presenting the data. Simplified boundaries can work just as well to keep the geographic context. In the example from The Economist labels have been used where necessary to add additional context.
Pick the right colours
It’d be a pretty bad offence to get the colours wrong on an election map. Don’t mistake the colours. There are websites out there to help with colours. Following this, use boundaries to keep the colours separate (especially in a cartogram). Adding a background colour doesn’t normally harm an election map but two seats merging into one would do.
Spot the story
There’s always a story when there’s an election result. Which is precisely why you shouldn’t just colour by numbers. The map below from the Times demonstrates how you can add detail to the otherwise generic election maps by choosing a slightly different variation on style to tell an impactful story. If you do this, a little description definitely doesn’t go amiss.
Put it next to the previous election map
Each election is different so it doesn’t hurt having a map that allows a reader to look at past results. Remember that the less confusing the better as this is the election that matters.
Colours change, boundaries change, opinions change, parties change.
Make them interactive
People are frequently reading and sharing articles around the election online as opposed to just in print. A strong interactive version of a simple map can be really powerful. People want to zoom in and click. It sort of lets them discover details without you having to make a new map to show off each element of a story. This also means people will spend longer looking at your map.
The following GIF shows parts of an interactive map by the Economist. I strongly recommend you take a look over the article they wrote and use all the buttons and sliders. It does a fantastic job of combining stats, graphs and geography all at the same time. It’s one of the best election maps this time round.
Obviously there are a million and one ways to make an impactful map. Election time just makes this a little easier by providing everything in an easy to use format (county boundaries, simple colours etc). Hopefully the above article can help as a checklist for making sure you’re creating an election map that’s easy to understand.
