UK election cartography
ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the history of the cartography of UK elections; we illustrate how it has changed as a result of technological change and also due to the changing demands of electoral map consumers. We then focus on the way in which maps were used (and possibly also abused) across many of the various media outlets that reported the 2015 General Election in the United Kingdom. The review reveals a fascinating consensus in terms of map type, style and functionality though, naturally, the extent to which various maps were useful varies. However, what is most interesting is seeing their form coalesce towards a common format. A new default appears to be emerging. We then offer two alternative maps of the UK 2015 General Election, which contribute to the development of modified symbology for thematic cartography. In the first, we demonstrate how an artistic representation can have benefits in displaying what are essentially very messy data. In the second, we create a new 3D hexagonal cartogram. In summary, we suggest that despite the apparent coalescing it might be too early in the cartography of elections to think that a final form has now been reached as our experiments show.