A large form data analysis in the NYT showing the precinct by precinct election outcome did a poor job showing the spread of votes across the country — it was binary, DEM vs GOP, did not include vote totals. It created the impression that the 2016 was a route, with overwhelming voting advantages falling to the GOP.
In terms of understanding how the country feels about specific issues, this matters. I wonder how much of a false impression this creates regarding the levels of national support for specific specific policies: immigration, tax & spending, medical rights, ACA, gun rights, etc.
The reality is that GOP lost the popular vote for both the House and the President. In terms of support for various policies, this makes a huge difference.
Wired puts this into richer more accurate context, via accounting for population density:
Source: Wired
This is an interesting interactive way to see it in 3D view:
Source: Wired
