The Purple States of America

Enough about Red States and Blue States, no more about the "United States of Canada" and "Jesusland" - please let the above be the last word on the 2004 US presidential election maps.

... suggested by Robert Vanderbei at Princeton University... not just two colors on the map, red and blue, but instead... red, blue, and shades of purple to indicate percentages of voters.

More amazing is the cartogram [a map in which the sizes of states have been rescaled according to their population] of the 2004 election results, as seen below:


Let's face it, we as a country are just one big, purple, rolled-roast, sausage looking thing!

More maps, cartograms and info at Maps and cartograms of the 2004 US presidential election results.

[Maps and text quotes: © 2004 M. T. Gastner, C. R. Shalizi, and M. E. J. Newman]