What's New
The Michigan Voting Location and Outreach Tool was updated on October 4, 2021 with the following changes to the voting location data and map design. For more detailed information about our methods please see our Methodology.
Data Updates
The following Voting Location and Outreach Tool data sources have been updated:
- OpenStreetMap Points of Interest, as of June 1, 2021
- GTFS Transit Data, as of June 1, 2021
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate (2015-2019)
- Catalist Voter Registration Data (2020 General Election)
- Census LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) Data (2018)
- Municipal Boundaries (2020 Census County Subdivisions)
- 2020 General Election Voting Locations provided by the Voting Information Project
Map Design Updates
- Legend Color Breaks: Previously, the color breaks used in the map legend for the Site Scores, Demographic and Voter Data, and Population Data were created using Jenks Natural Breaks. In this update, we've updated the map legend color breaks to use quantile classification so that values are ranked and divided equally into five classes where possible. In smaller counties with insufficient data, raw values are used rather than quantile classification.
- All Potential Areas: All potential sites were previously located under the Suggested Voting Location Areas section of the sidebar and can now instead be found in its own section.
- Info Buttons: We added info buttons that can be operated by hovering to different areas of the map to provide users with additional information where helpful.
- Points of Interest: We updated the colors used to indicate different points of interest to more clearly differentiate each category.
The Michigan Voting Location and Outreach Tool was updated on April 14, 2022 with the following changes to the voting location modeling, data, and map design. For more detailed information about our methods please see our Methodology.
Model Updates
- Population Clustering: In this update, we adjusted our method of clustering populated census blocks to use a greater number of geographic clusters, identified through an iterative process, to increase the stability and robustness of our results
- Facility Location: We adjusted our facility location model to include a greater number of initial sites to account for rural areas with limited potential sites. In addition, we made adjustments to ensure that all sites are selected based on population demand.
- Additional Areas: When identifying additional suggested areas, we modified our methods to better account for population.
- Expansion Counties: When the Voting Location and Outreach Tool was initially created, the model was run on a set of priority counties only. In this update, we expanded the Tool to include model results for all counties.
Data Updates
The following Voting Location and Outreach Tool data sources have been updated:- GTFS Transit Data, as of November 19, 2021
- Census LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) Data (2019)
- 2020 Decennial Census Data
- American Community Survey Latino & Asian Subgroup Population Data
- American Community Survey Native American Population Data
- 2016 Vote By Mail Rate
- 2016 Registered Voter Turnout Rate
- 2020 Registered Voter Turnout Rate
- 2020 General Election Precinct Boundaries
Map Design Updates
- Subgroup Population Data Dropbdown: Latino and Asian subgroup population data can now be viewed under the "Demographic & Population Data" section of the sidebar by clicking the "Latino Percent of Population" or "Asian Percent of Population" dropdown arrows.
- Additional Data Sidebar Redesign: With the addition of more voter data, the Voting Location and Outreach Tool's "Additional Data" section of the sidebar was reorganized into three categories: "Voter Data", "Demographic & Population Data", and "Points of Interest".
The Michigan Voting Location and Outreach Tool was updated on June 15, 2022 with the following changes to the voting location data and map design. For more detailed information about our methods please see our Methodology.
Data Updates
The following Voting Location and Outreach Tool data sources have been added:- 2016 Vote By Mail Rate (Black)
- 2020 Vote By Mail Rate (Black)
- 2016 Registered Voter Turnout Rate (Black)
- 2020 Registered Voter Turnout Rate (Black)
Map Design Updates
- Voter Data Dropdown: Voter data split by subgroups can now be viewed under each category's "Total" field by clicking the dropdown arrows for the following fields: 2016 Vote by Mail Rate, 2020 Vote by Mail Rate, 2016 Registered Voter Turnout Rate, 2020 Registered Voter Turnout Rate.
The Michigan Voting Location and Outreach Tool was updated on August 16, 2022 with the following changes to the voting location data and modelling. For more detailed information about our methods please see our Methodology.
Model Updates
- Municipal-Level Voting Locations: In this update, we adjusted our modeling to identify voting locations within cities, towns, and villages rather than counties.
Data Updates
The following Voting Location and Outreach Tool data sources have been updated:- OpenStreetMap Points of Interest, as of June 8, 2022
- GTFS Transit Data, as of June 8, 2022
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate (2016-2020)
Map Design Updates
- Municipal-Level Voting Locations: Voting locations can now be viewed within cities, towns, and villages rather than counties. Cities, towns, and villages that share names are differentiated by county in the dropdown menu on the home page.
- Block-Level Additional Data Layers: The additional data layers are now visualized at the census block-level rather than the census tract to provide greater detail. Not all data sources provide data at the census block-level and are instead only available down to the census tract-level. For these layers, census tract-level data is assigned to their corresponding census blocks so that census blocks are visually grouped together by census tract.