Just finished calculating: in 2016, 70% of U.S. voters lived in "landslide precincts" (20%+ margin either way), up from 64% in 2012.
This map shows America literally coming apart.
nyti.ms/2JX3LBj
This map shows America literally coming apart.
nyti.ms/2JX3LBj
And no, this rapid geopolarization isn't attributable to gerrymandering (though it's helped make partisan gerrymandering much more effective).
It doesn't matter which map format you prefer (dot, cartogram, etc.). The essential takeaway - the disappearance of purple America - is the same. fivethirtyeight.com/features/purpl…
It's simple, folks: red neighborhoods are getting redder & blue neighborhoods are getting bluer. In 2016, it accelerated.
This rapid voter self-sorting (not redistricting) explains 83% of the massive decline in swing House seats since 1997 - a key cause of DC dysfunction.
This rapid voter self-sorting (not redistricting) explains 83% of the massive decline in swing House seats since 1997 - a key cause of DC dysfunction.
Not sure how many people fully appreciate how rapidly, recently & profoundly this neighborhood-level polarization has taken place - in part b/c America has remained so evenly divided overall.
