Unless the population of a state is dispersed evenly in proportion to the size of each county, there is no direct relationship between the physical area of a county and the number of people, registered voters, or votes cast within it. | Which is why I was surprised to see an analyst from a leading all-news television network point to a map of California and single out San Bernadino county, California‘slargest county by area, as a significant reason for Arnold Schwarzenegger‘svictory. —Jonathan Corum —Mapping Votes by County: County maps and the 2003 California Statewide Special Election. (Style.org)

Note: The above images come from a screen capture of the original site; the cubist design on the left is, of course, a map of California with the counties adusted in size to represent population. I erased some text that would have been illegible at this size, in order to increase the comprssion rate.

Fascinating study of maps that distort the public perception of Arnold Schwartzenegger’s political mandate in California. Very reminiscent of the maps showing George W. Bush winning huge tracts of land, with Al Gore winning in tiny, highly-populated spots.

Via Sylvie’s HCI Weblog.