Election Resources Available in the Geospatial Resources and Map Collection

Tuesday, November 4, 2008, is Election Day in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for president of the United States and many other offices. Maps are an ideal tool for illustrating information and statistics about elections. The widely-used "blue states and red states" explanation of states' party affiliations has become a cultural phrase made popular by an election map from the 2000 presidential election.

The University Libraries’ Geospatial Resources and Map Collection (GRMC) houses many maps, atlases, and other resources about elections. These maps are both current and historical. Maps depicting newly-drawn Congressional districts, maps showing election results, and maps of local election precincts are available for research in the GRMC.

One of the most popular election maps is National Atlas of the United States of America: Presidential Elections, 1789-2000. This map, published by the federal government, shows how each state voted in every presidential election since 1789. “Red” states are depicted as Democratic Party states and “blue” states as Republican Party. It features a larger map of the election results of the controversial 2000 election. The main map displays the popular vote by county; an inset map shows the results of the electoral vote. Indiana presents an interesting study in cultural history on the map: Indiana has voted for the Republican Party candidate in all but four presidential elections since 1896.

The Atlas Collection provides excellent election resources. Atlas of American Politics, 1960-2000 features several maps about elections, including voter turnout. Readers can use the atlas to find maps illustrating important events such as the impeachment vote of President Bill Clinton and topics such as the environment, capital punishment, abortion, and the number of women serving in state legislatures. The Atlas Collection also includes election resources from other countries, including the first elections in Kosovo and Poland.

Students, faculty, and others can now access a new study guide, Cartographic Resources for Political Science and Election Research, at www.bsu.edu/library/mediapdfpoliscienceresourcesguide.pdf.

For more information contact Melissa S. Gentry, University Libraries’ Map Collections Assistant, MGentry@bsu.edu, 765-285-1097.