Purple

The country is far less divided than what we think it is. The problem is our perception doesn’t match reality.

Take for instance, this typical cartogram above; it is littered with irradiation, which causes bright colors to be larger and bolder than darker colors.

Another problem is that the space we occupy doesn’t vote. So, why on earth would we color in places like Death Valley? No one lives there and yet, it can appear that these places are occupied by respected parties.

Cartographers have worked to change how we view these maps. By simply changing the colors, it changed the perception of division.

HT New York Times for this piece.