Political Geography of the South: A Spatial Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Election

Authors

  • Chad J. Kinsella Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lander University, Greenwood, South Carolina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-779X.2013.34.0.227-240

Abstract

The region identified as the "South" arguably has been and continues to be the most politically interesting and analyzed region in the United States. Using election results and county maps of the eleven southern states, this study provides a spatial analysis of the counties in this region. Through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this study analyzes the 2008 presidential election using counties as the unit of analysis within these states. This exploratory study will provide data as to which candidate won each county as well as a "landslide" county map that denotes counties that supported a candidate by a margin of twenty percent or more. This study will also investigate the difference in county-level voting between the 2004 and 2008 election to see how the preferences of the electorates changed. Finally, a contextual analysis, using data gathered from the United States Census Bureau will identify county population demographics that help explain voting behavior as well as the change in vote between 2004 and 2008.

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Published

2018-06-20

Issue

Vol. 34: Fall 2013

Section

Articles

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