Google Trends helps us understand what people are using Google for. This election, ProPublica and Google News Labs created a live Google Trends map to help identify voter issues.
The election-based Google Trends map below uses historic data -- from the 2012 election, Super Tuesday 2016 and early voting 2016 -- to determine normal search traffic for the following categories:
- Provisional ballots status
- Long wait times at polling stations
- Inactive voter status
- Voting machine issues
- Voter intimidation at polling places
When searches traffic for these categories rises above "normal" levels, it shows up on the map as a color-coded dot. The size of the dot indicates how abnormal the search traffic volume is. Larger points, more abnormal traffic.
Read more about how this map works.
KyCIR is one of hundreds of newsrooms across the country partnering with ProPublica for its Electionland project. Electionland aims to seek out and scrutinize any problems at the polls that prevent voters from participating in the 2016 election.
You can follow us on Twitter for updates from across Kentucky. Electionland will be providing nationwide updates on Twitter and online. Read more about the project here.