Electoral college

[ciphergoth]

After watching far, far too much West Wing (ie all of it - finally reached the end which is both bad and good) I created this image to visualize the results of the 2004 election. I want something like this updated live for 2008, with states not yet called ranked based on predictions.



You'll need to view it full size to properly see what's going on.

(updated image with new algorithm for placing labels)

Comments

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

The y-axis is clearly the margin of victory, and I'm guessing the x-axis is the number of electoral college votes - right?

The most useful live data I found was tables showing states not yet called clearly, with projections for them and their electoral college votes, with the entire rest of the dataset reduced to two numbers (votes securely for D & R).

Not sure a live update of this graph would be better. Oh - unless you change the ranking algorithm put uncalled states in between Dem and Rep, and show 'em in lighter versions of the colour they're predicted to go, or grey where it's too close to call. The relation of that mid-point to the half-way line - and the size of the votes up for grabs - would be great fun to watch, and you could just focus on that portion of the graph, dumping the rest.

But all this is supposing the next election again comes down to the results from hard-to-call states. It's entirely possible it'll be clearer, in which case the prolonged period of interest in the marginal zone won't exist in the same way.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

You've anticipated my exact plan :-) except for the bit where I indicate the difference between the anticipated and actual vote for the called states, and offer a choice of different graphs for different predictions.

No-one currently knows who's going to win - I'll be surprised if we're confident of the result by election day. Even if we are it's still fun to watch the result lock in...

[lizw.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great idea. Keep us posted!

[olethros.livejournal.com]

Would you be willing to share the code? It strikes me that this might map reasonably, if not so elegantly, onto Ireland's three, four and five seat constituencies. (And we're due a general election sometime in the next six months or so.)