Voting In Alachua County Nia Haynes Sara Antilla Ruben Hung Talia Pate
Introduction There are many decisions made at the local and regional level that can affect our daily life. These decisions deal with everything from public services, such as transportation and facilities, to land use and housing needs. All these decisions are made by public officials who are supposed to be reflecting the will of the people. This will is determined through voting. In this project, we aim to profile the voters of Alachua County in an attempt to discover who is actively voting in our decision makers.
Methods Programs Analysis Process ArcMap 8.1 ArcCatalog Created fields Joined tables Calculated percentages from tables Selected by attributes Analyzed variables to determine voter activism by gradient distribution
Methods (continued) Tools used: Variables used: Created fields in ArcCatalog Calculation through tables Select by attributes Gradient distribution by category Variables used: Age Group 18-21 22-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65 and up Race Black Hispanic White Asian Sex Male Female
General Demographics Education: HS grad- 88.1% Education: HS grad- 88.1% Bachelors or higher- 38.7% Income: Median- $31,426 Persons below poverty level- 22.8% Housing: Owners- 54.9% Renters- 45.1% Geography: 874 sq mi 249.3 person/sq mi Population: 223,578 Race: Black- 19% White- 73% Hispanic- 5.7% Asian- 3.5% U.S. Census Bureau
Population of Alachua County
Voting Demographics Registered Voters: 142,358 Number of Precincts: 69 Population over age 18: 79.8% 174,017 U.S. Citizens (native and naturalized): 95.4% Alachua County Supervisor of Elections
Voting Demographics WHITE 100,694 46,607 34,425 18,927 460 275 BLACK Total Voters Democrat Republican Other Libertarian Green WHITE 100,694 46,607 34,425 18,927 460 275 BLACK 21,550 18,074 848 2620 2 6 HISPANIC 4,891 192 1,227 1,645 18 9 AMERICAN INDIAN / ALASKAN 467 208 127 126 4 ASIAN / PACIFIC 2,611 1,047 549 1,002 7 OTHER 12,285 4,141 2,471 5,566 60 47 TOTAL 142,498 72,069 39,647 29,886 550 346 Alachua County Supervisor of Elections
Voter Activism by Block Activism by Percentage of Total Population in Each Census Block ** ZOOM IN ON MIDDLE SECTION
Black Voter Activism This figure shows the census blocks of Alachua County with greater than 50% voter activism and greater than 50% African American population
White Voter Activism This figure shows the census blocks of Alachua County with greater than 50% voter activism and greater than 50% White population
Hispanic Voter Activism This figure shows the census blocks of Alachua County with greater than 50% voter activism and greater than 50% Hispanic population
Asian Voter Activism The population of Asians was minimal therefore it was not included in the findings
Female Voter Activism This figure depicts areas of Alachua County with high activism that have at least 50% female population
Male Voter Activism This figure illustrates areas of Alachua County with high activism and at least 50% male population. Note: there is overlap between areas of 50% males and females.
Age Activism comparison 18-21 majority in Gainesville 22-29 Gainesville and other Alachua city centers 30+ outside of Gainesville, more rural areas
Conclusion There are several factors that can influence voter activism. We’ve explored the characteristics of race, gender, and age to gain insights about the activism in Alachua County.