Everyone knows the standard electoral map – vast swaths of red in the South and the Midwest, with some blue on each coast. Looking at that map, it appears that the country is overwhelmingly Republican, with all the red.
But see, here’s the thing: Many of those red states are sparsely populated, and thus do not have very many electoral votes. As has been said for years, land doesn’t vote, people do. And that vast swath of red up the middle of the map does not represent as many people as it would indicate.
So, Le Monde in France came up with a different way to show the electoral map – with actual votes for each state in the electoral college. It still keeps the basic state map intact, but inserts blocks of red or blue for the electoral votes from that state. It is a MUCH better way to show the results.
So, the next time someone uses the standard map to say that the country is obviously overwhelmingly Republican or conservative, just point them to this map. And, just for an added bonus, ask them to look at it and imagine Texas, or Florida, or both, going blue.
Enjoy!
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