The Vote for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1969

Abstract

A close contest for the mayoralty of Los Angeles in 1969 between the incumbent and a strongly supported Negro candidate is the context for a structural analysis of the areal pattern of the vote. A factor model is used to define four major patterns of interrelations in a wide range of socioeconomic and voting variables. Each isolates significant aspects of the voting pattern, but they are unable to determine clearly the reasons for the defeat in the final election of the Negro candidate who gained a substantial lead in the primary.

Un impulso para la Geografía Electoral: el uso de tecnologías geoespaciales para el análisis del voto de las comunidades hispanas en Estados Unidos

“…Los residentes de todas estas escalas podrían desarrollar una identidad común que los predispondría a votar de ciertas formas (Jones et al, 1992: 347). La agregación temporal en los distritos electorales o niveles equivalentes se complica por los frecuentes cambios en los límites de los distritos o por la diferencia entre métodos de recuento en el nivel local, con lo cual el análisis geográfico de las elecciones en esta escala suele ser completado (McPhail, 1971). Sin embargo, los cambios recientes en tecnología, particularmente en los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG), y la creciente disponibilidad de datos digitalizados vía Internet han facilitado los estudios a nivel del distrito electoral o equivalentes.…”

Recent Themes in Political Geography—a Review

“…Johnston postulates hypotheses on the effect of information flows (independent variable) on voting behavior, and Klimasewski has used the Chi-square test to verify significant relationships between party dominance and the economic and race-determined vote (Johnston 1974, Klimasewski 1973. Factor analysis was used by McPhail in his study of the elections of a new mayor for Los Angeles (McPhail 1971). The use of the new quantitative methods and computer techniques in political geography has raised the level of sophistication and scientific reasoning in the field.…”

Multi-scalar cartographic analysis of 2008 and 2010 election returns in Wisconsin, USA

“…Therefore, geographic analysis of elections at this very local scale is typically completed at the municipal level for single elections (McPhail, 1971). However, recent changes in technology, particularly in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and increasing availability of digital data via the Internet, have made it easier to perform studies at the district or ward level.…”