Thread by @DataANDInfo

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Hey folks: I wanted to share something @apmresearch just released that I’m very proud of:

Our VOTER PROFILE TOOLS, as part of our broader #RepresentingUS project. (Read: A wealth of data to understand the US electorate in interactive @tableau tools.)
apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau 2/
We at @apmresearch released these tools on #IowaCaucus day, but expect that they will be valuable up until the #2020election & beyond—to understand how eligible voters differ—often dramatically—from state to state & in each congressional district.

apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau 3/
Already I’ve read numerous #media stories about the #IowaCaucuses & #NewHampshirePrimary saying those states don’t reflect the nation’s #demographics, but the #journalists didn’t include any data as to HOW they differed and to what degree.

@APMResearch @tableau 4/
The @apmresearch VOTER PROFILE TOOLS have:

🎂 Voters by age: from youngest 🌱 to more seasoned 🧂
👋🏿👋🏽👋🏻 Voters by race
🎓 Bachelor’s degree+
🎓 No high school diploma
💵 Median income & poverty
🚹🚺 Men & women (sorry, no non-binary data exists)
& 🌍 Immigrants (naturalized)

@APMResearch @tableau 5/
We at @apmresearch think they are essential tools for reading the political tea leaves, for understanding how voters’ backgrounds & perspectives change as you move around the country.

apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

#NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshire #Election2020

@APMResearch @tableau 6/
The @apmresearch VOTER PROFILE TOOLS are designed in @tableau, published in @tableaupublic. There are more than 222,000 data points “under the hood” that power the #dataviz. They showcase the latest #ACSdata from the @uscensusbureau.

apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau 7/
Building them took me about the same time to produce as a squirrel’s gestation period—a little over a month. 🐿️ (While keeping a few other plates spinning.)

apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau 8/
The data wrangling was pretty straight-forward but I labored over how to show populous districts that have a small geographic footprint that are swallowed up by traditional maps. (Never fear, #maplovers, we still made that map, too):
apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau 9/
This has been a preoccupation of mine since I authored this @apmresearch blog about how I’m really sick of viewing the world through the lens of counties, which are grossly unequal: apmresearchlab.org/blog/the-unequ…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau 10/
And yet, I knew I was also part of the problem. I mean, I won a @tableau “Viz of the Day” #VOTD for a county-level (!) map on #opioids: apmresearchlab.org/opioids. So yeah, time to stretch to develop some new “containers” to flow data through.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau 11/
I landed on this fairly simple “proportional grid” showing all 435 #congressional districts as little tiles. With the help of @apmresearch team members Fiona Boler & @benjamingclary, we added a little geographic description (tooltip) to help orient:
apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary 12/
Yes, it’s fairly simple, but 435 of anything is a lot to try to differentiate visually, so this limited the #dataviz options. Those of you who live in LA, or Boston, or NY actually SHOW UP now in the viz. And that’s SO IMPORTANT.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary 13/
Despite cliched and trite calls for “heartland values,” American voters in EVERY part of this nation deserved to be seen and heard—both in our #dataviz & but especially by our elected officials. Because we all have VALUES, whether we live by a silo or a skyscraper.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary 14/
What I love about the grid is how much easier it is to see America’s city-dwellers. If you look at % of potential voters under 30, you can easily locate nation-leading #MA07, Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s district, which includes most of #Boston. @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR 15/
California’s 40th & Arizona’s 7th (near LA & Phoenix) also pop. Along w/ Massachusett’s 7th, these are the ONLY 3 districts where more than 1/3 of all potential voters have yet to have a 30th birthday 🎂. @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepPressley apmresearchlab.org/representingus…

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego 16/
You can also see this in our @apmresearch Sorting tool, which ranks every cong. district & state on potential voter characteristics. E.g., Florida’s 27th & 25th districts are tied for most #immigrants among their eligible voters. apmresearchlab.org/representingus… @RepShalala @MarioDB

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB 17/
Prior to coming to help build the new @apmresearch Lab in 2017 with @c_helmstetter, I worked as Asst. Director at the Minnesota State Demographic Center (@mn_statedata) & served as a liaison to the @uscensusbureau as part of the @censusSDC network.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB @c_helmstetter @MN_StateData @censusSDC 18/
While there, I crunched on @uscensusbureau data day & night, which is why I have these “demographic goggles” I wear for my research work. Almost nothing is outside the impact of #demographic variables & influences—age, race, births, deaths, migration--ESPECIALLY #politics.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB @c_helmstetter @MN_StateData @censusSDC 19/
So whether you are trying to interpret demographic differences in political #polls or seeking to understanding voters’ needs, preferences, economic standing & backgrounds…we hope you’ll consult @apmresearch’s VOTER PROFILE TOOLS: apmresearchlab.org/representingus…
#Election2020

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB @c_helmstetter @MN_StateData @censusSDC 20/
Special thanks to my @apmresearch colleagues @gabecortes for page design & @c_helmstetter for thoughtful feedback on the #RepresentingUS VOTER PROFILE TOOLS.

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB @c_helmstetter @MN_StateData @censusSDC @gabecortes 21/
We @APMResearch Lab would ♥️ to hear what you think of our VOTER PROFILE TOOLS (& what else you’d like to see)—whether you’re a #journalist, #media, @tableau #datafam #dataviz member, #politics #nerd, campaign worker or concerned citizen. Reply here or [e-mail]

@APMResearch @tableau @tableaupublic @uscensusbureau @benjamingclary @RepPressley @BosPublicRadio @WBUR @RepRoybalAllard @RepRubenGallego @RepShalala @MarioDB @c_helmstetter @MN_StateData @censusSDC @gabecortes 22/
& if you are a #media shop that wants to embed our tools, plz email [e-mail]. Thanks!
– Andi & the @APMResearch Lab

@apmdistribution @spj_tweets @journtoolbox @NiemanLab @niemanfdn @Poynter @Mediabistro @NABJ @NAHJ @LatinoUSA @aaja @najournalists @IRE_NICAR