University of Richmond’s “Electing the President” digital map allows public to see historic election results

The University of Richmond‘s Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL) has published a unique interactive map of voting history in the U.S. Presidential elections dating back to 1840 before the Republican party existed.  

The Electing the President map went live Sept. 30 and is a free online tool which researchers, historians, students and those with an interest in political demographics and trends over time are sure to find valuable. It shows the results of both the electoral college and popular vote from 1840 to 2020.

The map shows shifting voter patterns over time in the United States and gives a detailed explanation of cultural, geographical and political fluctuations among voters, which impacted presidential elections.

“These are merely examples of how maps and space can be used to analyze presidential elections and voting behavior. Electing the President aims not to advance claims about the “Solid South,” the “southern strategy,” a Republican suburban strategy, or any other historical interpretation. Instead, we hope it can serve as a versatile tool for exploration,” wrote Dr. Robert Nelson, director of the Digital Scholarship Lab. 

“By offering different ways to visualize the electoral college and the popular vote for 46 elections stretching back to William Henry Harrison’s contest with Martin Van Buren in 1840, our goal is to help users deepen their understanding of the complex factors that have shaped presidential elections over nearly two centuries,” he said.

Electing the President is part of the American Panorama project, an historical atlas of the United States. “It combines cutting-edge research with innovative interactive mapping techniques, designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in American history or a love of maps,” described Dr. Nelson, the editor for American Panorama.

Some of the fascinating maps include: foreign born population from 1850-2020, the forced migration of enslaved people between 1810-1860, family displacements through urban renewal from 1950-1966, and redlining in a New Deal America from 1935-1940.

Additional American Panorama projects include the award-winning Mapping Inequality, which maps the practice of redlining and the history of racial and ethnic discrimination in housing policy across the country, and Photogrammar, which provides tools to explore a rich archive of photographs taken between 1935 and 1944.
Dr. Nelson is the Director of the DSL and Head of Digital Engagement in Boatwright Library. He teaches courses related to antislavery and slavery in the United States and about the digital humanities. Dr. Nelson can be reached at: rnelson2@richmond.edu

Audrey Carpenter is the Loudoun County Bureau Chief for All Virginia News. She can be reached at: audreycarpenter@allvirginia.news