Some maps are missing. Where are they?
There are nine series of maps on this site - Constituencies, General Elections, Local Elections, Presidential Elections, European Elections, Referenda, Vote Shares, Cabinets and Historical Maps. I am working on completing each of these series, but it will take time to do so. New maps are uploaded as regularly as possible, but in some cases this might result in a long time before some series are complete. So far, the Constituency maps are complete for the Republic of Ireland, and the Presidential Elections series is also complete. I hope to have the European Elections and Referenda series completed next.
Why don't you show Northern Ireland in your Republic maps?
The complete absence of the six counties of Northern Ireland from maps concerning elections in the Irish Free State/Republic of Ireland is not a political statement of any kind. Early on during the creation of this site, I knew that clarity had to be prioritised. Because the maps rely on colours so much, I decided it would they would be needlessly complicated if they included territory which was not directly involved in the election or referendum in question, no matter how neutral a colour I attempted to shade it.
Some of the maps in the same series look different from each other. Why?
Call it learning on the job. I had a particular format which I used when I began the site, but before long I decided that format was simply not good enough, and that I could still make the maps clearer and easier to examine for readers. All maps made since October 2011 feature each constituency's result figures on the map itself, as opposed to being in a list alongside the map. Google Blogger's formatting, which I can't control, made the older maps made a complicated format even more difficult to follow, so I went with the new option. I am working on retooling the older maps to the new style, but progress on this front is just as dependent on how much time I have as making new maps in general.
Do you have a map of _________?
If you're looking for a map for a certain election or referendum but can't find it, let me know through email. It could be that the map you're looking for is already in the making, but if not and if I have the time in which to do so, I can set about creating it if it's important. For the time being I only make maps within the confines of the series already on the site. Future map series will be considered later.
Where do you get your information from?
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government holds the records for elections and referenda in the Republic of Ireland. These records are available on the departmental website in raw data form. I calculate the percentages shown on the maps using this data. Elections held in Northern Ireland and in Ireland from 1801 to 1921 are mapped with information recorded in Brian M. Walker's Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland book series, which also provides information on the constituencies used throughout the years. Elections and referenda held since the site's creation have been mapped using results information announced during the official counts.
