The Electoral Dragon
Along the lines of the 2004 electoral maps earlier, here is a county-level map, with the counties adjusted for population size. Counties that were more than 70% red or blue are colored solid, as per Kevin Drum's suggestion. As some have observed, the result looks like a dragon! Click below to see it...
Adjusting for population is I think essential to understanding the electoral layout, because after all our democracy is "one person, one vote" and not "one acre, one vote" as some partisans clearly pine for a return to.
Others have pointed out reasonably that since the number of electoral votes is actually the number of representatives plus the number of Senators, smaller states are technically under-represented in this map - states such as Wyoming get double the EC they would based strictly on population. But since that is a constant offset, applied to all states, it can be subtracted out - even from the larger states like California. All states are technically under-represented, by the same amount, so the above representation truly is the most accurate.
Adjusting for population is I think essential to understanding the electoral layout, because after all our democracy is "one person, one vote" and not "one acre, one vote" as some partisans clearly pine for a return to.
Others have pointed out reasonably that since the number of electoral votes is actually the number of representatives plus the number of Senators, smaller states are technically under-represented in this map - states such as Wyoming get double the EC they would based strictly on population. But since that is a constant offset, applied to all states, it can be subtracted out - even from the larger states like California. All states are technically under-represented, by the same amount, so the above representation truly is the most accurate.
Comments
Personally, i find the rhetorical line that third world countries have a "better" democracy than ours to be insulting, especially given that my parents immigrated here with nothing - and I know many other people who have done the same, where their countries of origin were far less democratic indeed. My grandparents' generation struggled against the British for the right of self-determination, and their children came here to the USA - to suggest that our system is somehow a joke is to malign their sacrifices and idealism.
No, the electoral college does not mean each vote gets apportioned into the Presidential choice equally. That is by design, and a good thing. Yes, Wyoming has more "power" per vote than Wisconsin - but which state saw more political wooing and courtship?
Bottom line - its frankly bad form to critique the democtatic system we have just because our side lost an eletion. I suspet that had Kerry won there wouldnt be such ill-informed comments. I expect better, at least in the Discussion threads.