50 Equal States

[ElectionsGuy]

State #22: Dallas/Fort Worth and Suburbs. Population: 6,221,286

Biggest City: Dallas (1,197,816)

Romney: 1,167,637 (55.9%)
Obama: 890,857 (42.7%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #23: Houston and Suburbs/Southeastern Texas. Population: 6,144,272

Biggest City: Houston (2,099,451)

Romney: 1,061,685 (54.7%)
Obama: 854,214 (44.0%)

Holly bad turnout!

[ElectionsGuy]

State #24: (Eastern Pennsylvania - Metro Philadelphia) + NW New Jersey + Some bits of New York. Population: 6,114,292

Biggest City: Allentown (118,032)

Romney: 1,349,108 (52.3%)
Obama: 1,190,132 (46.2%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #25: Western New York + Most of Western Pennsylvania. Population: 6,166,131

Biggest City: Pittsburgh (305,704)

Obama: 1,360,036 (49.3%)
Romney: 1,355,656 (49.1%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #26: Southeast Michigan + Northern Ohio. Population: 6,166,802

Biggest City: Detroit (713,777)

Obama: 1,871,614 (63.2%)
Romney: 1,051,866 (35.5%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #27: Central Ohio + West Virginia Stick. Population: 6,268,748

Biggest City: Columbus (787,033)

Romney: 1,549,796 (52.2%)
Obama: 1,365,060 (46.0%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #28: (Indiana - Northern counties - Suburban Louisville counties) + Western Ohio. Population: 6,116,888

Biggest City: Indianapolis (820,445)

Romney: 1,462,586 (56.8%)
Obama: 1,063,068 (41.3%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #29: (Kentucky – far western counties) + Central West Virginia + Suburban Louisville counties + Southwest Pennsylvania. Population: 6,148,225

Biggest City: Louisville (597,337)

Romney: 1,496,067 (60.8%)
Obama: 919,320 (37.4%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #30: Rest of Virginia except Southwest + Western Maryland + Southern Pennsylvania + West Virginia Panhandle + Little Chunk of Southern Maryland. Population: 6,185,582

Biggest City: Richmond (204,214)

Romney: 1,551,025 (52.8%)
Obama: 1,332,825 (45.4%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #31: San Francisco Bay Area. Population: 6,127,006

Biggest City: San Jose (945,942)

Obama: 1,809,939 (74.1%)
Romney: 563,421 (23.1%)

[Skill and Chance]

It looks like Romney clearly won at least 26 states and therefore the election, because even though it is overpopulated, NYC is <2X as large as the other states.  This is assuming that your LA county states have the same target size, as all the others, right?  Interestingly, a previous non-partisan equal states map also resulting in giving the electoral college to Romney in 2012.  I wonder if a Republican EC advantage might be an inherent feature of an equal population COI map?  My 8 Californias map also has Obama underperforming in 5 states relative to the nation.  Of course, a "wedges" map for major metro areas where each state gets a slice of downtown would likely favor Democrats, but that is a fairly specific permutation of equal population states.

[Ebsy]

This just goes to show why we need to get rid of the electoral college.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It looks like Romney clearly won at least 26 states and therefore the election, because even though it is overpopulated, NYC is <2X as large as the other states.  This is assuming that your LA county states have the same target size, as all the others, right?  Interestingly, a previous non-partisan equal states map also resulting in giving the electoral college to Romney in 2012.  I wonder if a Republican EC advantage might be an inherent feature of an equal population COI map?  My 8 Californias map also has Obama underperforming in 5 states relative to the nation.  Of course, a "wedges" map for major metro areas where each state gets a slice of downtown would likely favor Democrats, but that is a fairly specific permutation of equal population states.

Yes, the same happened with the map I linked to. Romney managed to sweep all the swing States, while Obama ran ridiculously high (over 70%) in a dozen of them. Equal population apportionment really does seem to favor Republicans due to the nature of US political geography: the Dem vote is concentrated in big cities, while Republicans manage to rack up just enough support to carry the countryside and outer suburbs.

[Skill and Chance]

It looks like Romney clearly won at least 26 states and therefore the election, because even though it is overpopulated, NYC is <2X as large as the other states.  This is assuming that your LA county states have the same target size, as all the others, right?  Interestingly, a previous non-partisan equal states map also resulting in giving the electoral college to Romney in 2012.  I wonder if a Republican EC advantage might be an inherent feature of an equal population COI map?  My 8 Californias map also has Obama underperforming in 5 states relative to the nation.  Of course, a "wedges" map for major metro areas where each state gets a slice of downtown would likely favor Democrats, but that is a fairly specific permutation of equal population states.

Yes, the same happened with the map I linked to. Romney managed to sweep all the swing States, while Obama ran ridiculously high (over 70%) in a dozen of them. Equal population apportionment really does seem to favor Republicans due to the nature of US political geography: the Dem vote is concentrated in big cities, while Republicans manage to rack up just enough support to carry the countryside and outer suburbs.

The current EC modestly favor Democrats of course, and this seems to be because large cities are frequently located along large rivers which are also frequently state boundaries.  The central states which generally use parallels without regard to population density (e.g. CO shouldn't be so large) seem to be arranged in a way that favors Republicans, while states that use rivers as boundaries split the inner suburbs in just enough large eastern cities to make multiple adjacent states Democratic leaning.  Then you throw in some luck that has Democrats retaining rural support in northern New England.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It looks like Romney clearly won at least 26 states and therefore the election, because even though it is overpopulated, NYC is <2X as large as the other states.  This is assuming that your LA county states have the same target size, as all the others, right?  Interestingly, a previous non-partisan equal states map also resulting in giving the electoral college to Romney in 2012.  I wonder if a Republican EC advantage might be an inherent feature of an equal population COI map?  My 8 Californias map also has Obama underperforming in 5 states relative to the nation.  Of course, a "wedges" map for major metro areas where each state gets a slice of downtown would likely favor Democrats, but that is a fairly specific permutation of equal population states.

Yes, the same happened with the map I linked to. Romney managed to sweep all the swing States, while Obama ran ridiculously high (over 70%) in a dozen of them. Equal population apportionment really does seem to favor Republicans due to the nature of US political geography: the Dem vote is concentrated in big cities, while Republicans manage to rack up just enough support to carry the countryside and outer suburbs.

The current EC modestly favor Democrats of course, and this seems to be because large cities are frequently located along large rivers which are also frequently state boundaries.  The central states which generally use parallels without regard to population density (e.g. CO shouldn't be so large) seem to be arranged in a way that favors Republicans, while states that use rivers as boundaries split the inner suburbs in just enough large eastern cities to make multiple adjacent states Democratic leaning.  Then you throw in some luck that has Democrats retaining rural support in northern New England.

Indeed, Democrats are blessed by the fact that big States like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and, increasingly, Virginia, have metropolitan areas that are Democratic enough to counteract the Republican leanings of the rest of their States.

[ElectionsGuy]

State #32: Western Washington + Northern Oregon. Population: 6,051,210

Biggest City: Seattle (608,660)

Obama: 1,795,644 (61.7%)
Romney: 1,035,100 (35.6%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #33: Eastern Washington + Most of Oregon + Western Nevada + Northeastern California. Population: 6,195,878

Biggest City: Reno (225,221)

Romney: 1,405,902 (51.4%)
Obama: 1,243,924 (45.5%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #34: Hawaii + Northern California Coast + Upper Central Valley. Population: 6,100,651

Biggest City: Sacramento (466,488)

Obama: 1,350,110 (62.7%)
Romney: 745,536 (34.6%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #35: Eastern California mountains + Lower Central Valley + Central California Coast. Population: Population: 6,087,405

Biggest City: Fresno (494,665)

Obama: 914,771 (49.7%)
Romney: 879,751 (47.8%)

Again, holy bad turnout!

[ElectionsGuy]

State #36: Southwestern California Coast + LA Suburbs. Population: Population: 6,105,545

Biggest City: San Diego (1,307,402)

Obama: 1,139,397 (49.2%)
Romney: 1,119,058 (48.3%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #37: Southeast California + Central Arizona. Population: 6,397,526

Biggest City: Phoenix (1,445,632)

Romney: 1,107,855 (52.0%)
Obama: 976,426 (45.9%)

[ElectionsGuy]

State #38: Utah + Eastern/Southern Nevada + Northern Arizona. Population: 6,113,357

Biggest City: Las Vegas (583,756)

Romney: 1,335,546 (59.9%)
Obama: 843,000 (37.8%)

[Goldwater]

State #33: Eastern Washington + Most of Oregon + Western Nevada + Northeastern California. Population: 6,195,878

Biggest City: Reno (225,221)

Romney: 1,405,902 (51.4%)
Obama: 1,243,924 (45.5%)

That's my state. And my birth city.

[Хahar 🤔]

The Sacramento metropolitan area as you've drawn it makes no sense.

[ElectionsGuy]

The Sacramento metropolitan area as you've drawn it makes no sense.

Do you have a suggestion on a different way to do it?