This activity involved linking voter registration data with TIGER data for Fitchburg, Massachusetts for analysis.

What areas of the city have the lowest percentages of registered voters?

Figure 1.  This image shows total voter registration by census block group, compared with total population.  The highest proportion of registration can be found in the south central part of the city, but it is not a uniform pattern.

Is there any variation in party support within the city (i.e., Do different parties dominate different parts of the city)?

Figure 2.  This chart shows relative numbers of voters (by size of individual pie charts) and the proportion by party in each block group.  Mugwumps (green) and Whigs (gray) are the leading parties in each area, but Mugwumps tend to have greater numbers in the north, and Whigs in the south.

Should the Whigs invest in Spanish language flyers for the growing Hispanic population? If so, where should they distribute them?

Figure 3: This image shows proportion of Hispanic registration to total Hispanic population.  The number in each block group is the total number of Hispanic voters.  The actual numbers show that except in a few areas in the central part of the city, there are not significant numbers of Hispanics registered, so it may be worthwhile to invest in Spanish-language flyers.  There is no trend for proportion of Hispanic registration, except for a few block groups in the southern part of the city.  These might make a good starting point for flyer distribution.