Maps and Decisions Project

Maps and Decisions Project
A Study of the voting patterns of each state for the past 10 Presidential Elections. All maps were created using the popular votes each candidate from the two major parties received. Click here for full report.

1960 Election
Richard Nixon (R) and John F. Kennedy(D) faced off in the 1960 election. This was the first year that the two presidential candidates had a televised debate. The American people had the first opportunity to see the candidates from the two major parties square off against each other in a heated debate. Most viewers saw the young Kennedy looking much more vibrant than Nixon. Since this year many Americans look forward to the televised debates to hear the views of each candidate. Electoral votes were split, Kennedy 303 - Nixon 219 (thrid party cand. Byrd got 15).

1964 election
Barry Goldwater (R) and Lyndon Johnson (D) faced off in this election, Goldwater was unable to secure much favor with the American people and Johnson had a landslide victory. Electorla votes were: Johnson 486 to Goldwater 52.

1968 election
Richard Nixon(R) and Hubert Humphrey(D) represent the two major parties for this election. Third party candidate George Wallace, who ran on a platform for segregation received up to 10% of the popular vote in many states. (click here to learn more about this election ). Nixon got 301 votes in the electoral college while Humphrey got 191 and Wallace 46.

1972 election
Incumbent President Richard Nixon (R) defends his position against candidate George McGovern. Nixon won in a landslide collecting 520 electoral votes to McGovern's 17.

1976 election
Jimmy Carter(D) and Gerald Ford (R) squared off for a close election. Carter 297 and Ford 240 electoral votes. This is the year the Republican support is decidedly shifted to the Sunbelt states, take a look, what do you see.

1980 election
Ronald Reagan(R) and Jimmy Carter(D). Electoral College was a landslide victory. Reagan 489, Carter 49. This year also had a third party candidate, John Anderson, click here to learn more about his influence on this election.

1984 election
Incumbent President Ronald Reagan(R) defends his seat against Walter Mondale (D) in another landslide victory. Reagan earned 525 electoral votes to Mondale's 13.

2000 election
George W. Bush (R) from Texas ran against then Vice-President Al Gore (D). George W. Bush the son of former President George Bush won the election making him and his father the second father and son team to have become President. The first pair was John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams. As a result, the former President George Bush is known to have nicknamed his President son as "Quincy".