The full version of this graphic can be found on MSNBC.com. You should definitely look at the full version I've linked to, because it is a bit better than the small version.
Compare it to Marcel's post from last week, of a CNN graphic. I like the MSNBC version a bit better.
First, it makes it more clear that the two parties are racing toward a different number; particularly in the larger version on the MSNBC site, this is really clear because the two graphs are side by side and the graphs are horizontal (so they don't look like they have the same baseline).
Nobody really understands the designation of pledged vs. un-pledged delegates, so the graph is not cluttered with this. Though the MSNBC graphic says nothing about superdelegates (of course, nobody really know who they are voting for, so maybe that's better).
This breaks things down nicely by state, but it may be too cluttered by making each appear so separate. I think in the small version, this may also be causing a distortion, as the Democrats look closer to the nomination there than they do in the large version.
Interestingly, seeing these breakdowns by state makes it clear pretty quickly that the Dems and GOP allocate delegates differently -- the GOP tends to be more winner-take-all, while the Dems do some form of proportional allocation. You don't see that at all in the CNN version.
Something that I'm increasingly realizing is how nice it is to see graphics online, where labels don't clutter the graph until the user asks "what is this", and at that point a substantial amount of additional information appears.
No comments:
Post a Comment