So far in these posts I have focused on numerous topics relating to this election year from finance to voting machine reliability and of course polling data. But, who are the people at the heart of this election, who exactly are the voters and how does they effect this election? The Christian Science Monitor Patchwork Nation map focuses on this concept: Who are the voters in this election and what issues matter to them the most.

This maps basic premise is that people exist beyond the simple red and blue that we have seen in numerous demographic maps. The website has identified six demographic groups and their underlying beliefs and ideals. The editors of this site assert that people’s views and beliefs are largely shaped by where they live and the people they live with. In other words, people with similar values live in closer proximity creating communities of like minded individuals. While there is a strong geographic component to this site, the content as a whole and not just the map is the driving force. The site uses this common community approach to further examines the candidates messages to each of the eleven groups.


patchwork.png

The primary focus of the website is the map. Instead of the typical red and blue of most maps this site focuses instead on the geolocation of the groups. This presents a wonderful breakdown of the US into a patchwork of community types. This map is interesting to examine and see the larger overall patterns of communities and their beliefs and values as a whole and their spatial distribution. At the bottom of the map are the color coated categories that onclick will highlight the locations of that community on the map.

Accompanying the map are blogs to the left of the screen that provide commentary regarding issues that have been raised by candidates and aimed at a community. These blogs focus on a single community and how those issues relate to the community as well as overall commentary.

At the bottom of the page is a breakdown bar based on candidate of the types of communities visited on the campaign stops. These bars are represented as hash marks with related community color. Clicking on the candidate gives a more elaborate breakdown of the candidate and the number of campaign stops at each community.

This site is not just a map, but an embodiment of an entire concept. At the heart of its information is the person and what they believe broken into 11 distinctive categories. There is allot of supporting information regarding the map and its communities available and definitely warrants some time spent looking at all the information. I like the fact that this website focuses on communities and how the campaigns have focused on these community types throughout the election. There is a strong recognition that these communities have a strong correlation to spatial location.

The website can be viewed here [^]. As I have said in previous postings please feel free to leave me your thoughts or interpretations in the comments, and please check back as I will be adding additional content to this series soon.