Displaying election results

Abstract

Political constituencies are typically of unequal geographical size, but of equal political importance. A standard constituency map will give more prominence to large rural constituencies than to compact urban constituencies. The solution of providing separate expanded views of urban districts obscures their geographical proximity to neighbouring rural districts. In this paper a computer procedure is described which leads to a display in which all constituencies receive equal prominence, and in which the local geography is approximately preserved. Suggestions are made concerning possible methods of displaying the voting results in these constituencies. For the United Kingdom, displays involving properties of an equilateral triangle are advocated for a hard-copy presentation, while coloured circles prove effective when transparencies arc available.