Mapping LA County’s Civic Deserts

Keywords: voting, mapping, GIS, space-time cube, Los Angeles
Session Type: Virtual Paper
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 4/10/2021 04:40 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/10/2021 05:55 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 20

Abstract

Each election cycle brings a new wave of interest in voter turnout. More specifically, interested parties want to know which voters will go out to the polls to choose their preferred candidate. Political parties, candidates, and special interest groups focus their efforts on where they will get the most “bang for their buck.” This strategy may win elections, but it does not address the growing concern with who is left out of the electoral process. In this research, we move away from an emphasis on the candidates and toward an emphasis on the areas where residents are choosing to vote, or more concerning, not to vote in Los Angeles County. This research analyzes voter turnout in three steps: (1) visualizing voter turnout for the 2020 Presidential General Election; (2) analyzing significant clusters of voter turnout for the 10 major elections from 2008 to 2020 through space and time; and (3) analyzing significant clusters of vote-by-mail turnout for the 2020 Presidential General Election. Additionally, by overlaying race/ethnicity, median household income, and other additional demographic variables for the county, we highlight which groups are most affected, with the eventual goal of rectifying the imbalance in voter turnout and equity in voting.