Comments on: Michigan Presidential Primary: Voter Maps

By: DrData

DrData — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:17:20 +0000

I’m not an expert on voting rights, but in general, I think jurisdictions that make it easier for folks to vote will tend to be more liberal/progressive than areas with more restrictive voting rules. This can be voting day registration, internet voting, absentee voting for all – not just the elderly/disabled, primaries on Saturdays, and extended hours.

There is currently a pretty strong push to tighten up voting rules presumably to prevent voter fraud. In the end, this will likely hurt Democrats.

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:51:34 +0000

Dr Data, question for you since you seem to have a handle on all things demographic.

Is there any significance to poll closing times in various states, and how that state skews liberal vs conservative? I think Indiana closes at 7 PM as a rule, and always seems to vote more Republican as opposed to neighboring states that close their booths at 8 PM.

By: DrData

DrData — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:39:02 +0000

I wouldn’t say that the maps don’t tell anything. However, this might have been the time to include two pieces of information on the map. The color ramp could show the percentage distributions, while raw totals could be indicated by hash marks (dots, lines, etc.).

Apparently, one of Santorum’s strategies in Michigan was to concentrate on some Congressional Districts that were not Republican leaning. Winning those counted just as much as winning a Republican Congressional District, albeit based on fewer Republicans.

I am struck by how few voters in each state are deciding the presidential candidate.

By: Leah Gunn

Leah Gunn — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:10:51 +0000

These maps are pretty to look at, but don’t tell you anything. In order to see the actual numbers, go to the web site of the County Clerk at http://www.ewashtenaw.org and click on elections. There you will see that, in Ann Arbor, it was an extremely low turnout. The actual numbers for each candidate are there as well. That will give a much better picture of what actually happened.