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Census + Electoral Geospatial Data Workshop

Tufts-MEDSL Fall Workshop on Census + Electoral Geospatial Data

Background

As the next round of state redistricting processes draws closer, increasing attention is being paid to the data and techniques behind those processes, and the ways in which researchers and practitioners alike have been working to improve them.

The U.S. Census, of course, is at or near the center of many of these discussions, as well as data from state and national elections. But while Census and election data are officially available to the public, in practice they can be difficult to collect and use. Tufts' Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group, with MIT's Election Data and Science Lab, are working together to build a collaborative and quality-controlled shared knowledge infrastructure of these Census and electoral data, making it more easily accessible to researchers, practitioners, and the public.

The Tufts-MEDSL Fall Workshop on Census + Electoral Geospatial Data brought together experts in the realm of the U.S. Census, geospatial data, and analyzing elections, to foster collaboration and discussion on this important subject and advance our collective knowledge. Topics during the sessions included:

  • Protocols, quality assurance, and data standards for structuring demographic and electoral data;
  • Interplay of local and state authority; the difficulties and benefits of maintaining current statewide precinct shapefiles;
  • Concerns of stakeholders in election administration, think tanks, reform groups, voting rights litigation, and the scientific research community.

About the Workshop

Date:

Friday, November 15, and Saturday November 16, 2019

Location:

Building E51, room 95, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

  • Moon Duchin (Tufts University)
  • Charles Stewart III (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Sponsors:

This project is graciously supported by the National Science Foundation.

  • Agenda

    Setting the stage

    • Charles Stewart III (MIT Election Data and Science Lab): Data collection for election research, lessons from the Voter Technology Project
    • Moon Duchin (MGGG Redistricting Lab): The precinct puzzle, GIS and shape topology, MAUP, and computation

    National perspectives I

    • Wendy Underhill (National Conference of State Legislatures): State-level redistricting reform
    • Jamie Chesser (Geo-Enabled Elections Project): GIS adoption in election data management: progress and prospects

    National Perspectives II

    • James Whitehorne (US Census Bureau, Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office): The Census VTD program: collection, editing, and reporting
    • Michael McDonald (US Elections Project, Public Mapping Project): Precinct and district boundaries

    State Perspectives I

    • Meagan Wolfe (WI Elections Commission): GIS and innovation in election administration
    • Karin MacDonald (CA Statewide Database): California's statewide database

    State Perspectives II

    • Jessika Shipley (CO General Assembly): Communities of interest as a data problem
    • Brad Neuhauser (Office of the MN Secretary of State): Data maintenance, data sharing, and audits

    State Perspectives III

    • Mark Salling (Northern OH Data and Information Service): The database construction process in Ohio, past and future
    • Brian Neesby (NC Board of Elections): Precinct creation, modification, and geospatial auditing

    Independent Commissions

    • Karin MacDonald (CA Statewide Database)
    • Colleen Mathis (AZ Independent Commission): Data needs, redistricting criteria, and independent commissions

    Closing Remarks

Registration and Logistics

Lodging

We have reserved a block of rooms on the nights of November 14-15 for attendees at the nearby Marriott. Please check your email for more information, or reach out to Claire DeSoi via the contact information below.

Getting here

If you'll be flying in, please book your flight to Boston Logan Airport. To reach the MIT campus and the workshop hotel, it is a relatively easy ride on the subway, or a short rideshare/taxi ride away.

If you plan to drive, please let us know if you will require parking, and we can provide that information for you.

Once you have made your reservations, please email any receipts for reimbursement to Claire DeSoi, via the contact information below.

PROVISIONS

Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days. On Friday evening at 6:30pm, we will be hosting a private conference dinner at EVOO, located close to the MIT campus.

 

This workshop is closed to the public. For more information, please get in touch using the contact information below.

 

 

For more info + questions please contact
Claire DeSoi