Views on Politics
© 2020 viewsonpolitics.com

Interactive Model of Eligible Voter Distribution

Dataset:
Voter Rectangle=
Click-drag-drop any "voter" rectangle to move it from one group into another.
Change color on move?
Reset

Democratic Party
3rd Party/write-ins
Swing/Undecided
Republican Party

Infrequent/Non-voters

* Percentage of Votes    ** Percentage of Eligible Voters

Discussion

The diagram above is a model of the electorate in a close U.S. general election. Each small rectangle represents 1% of eligible voters (use the drop-down list at the top-right for more options). Lighter colored rectangles (inside dotted lines) signify eligible voters more likely to move into a different box for the election; darker colors (inside solid lines) indicate those less likely to move.

This sample distribution depicts a typical close election, whether it is a local election or a battleground state in a presidential election.

This model is interactive to enable you to fine-tune the distribution for a specific election. At the top right, check the box for "Change color on move?" and move voter rectangles to best reflect your perception of the current distribution. Then uncheck the box and move voter rectangles to analyze how movements impact the election results. Click the Reset button to restore the model to the initial sample distribution. Keep in mind that all "Swing/undecided" voters end up in one of the other boxes once the polls close. By definition, everyone votes for a candidate or doesn't vote at all.

If time permits, we will add a feature for selecting specific recent and/or upcoming elections to show approximate distributions. Another possible feature is to enable you to save and retrieve your configuration(s) via a browser "cookie".

Relevant Links
Real Clear Politics - Latest Polls
270ToWin - Interactive Presidential Election Map
FiveThirtyEight - Politics
U.S. Election Atlas
Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential Elections