Mapping California's Politically Vulnerable Communities
The UC Davis California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) presents an innovative visualization of political participation in California’s communities. Using geographic information system (GIS) technology, the CCEP has created a new, publicly available interactive web platform that maps the relationship between low voter turnout and the economic, educational and health challenges faced by communities in our state.
This new mapping tool allows users to identify areas of high and low voter turnout, down to the neighborhood precinct level. These interactive maps also allow users to investigate the interplay between electoral participation and economic, educational and health factors. Click here for detailed methodology.
Also available from the CCEP are a series of static GIS maps visualizing California communities’ voter turnout. These include:
Civic Access: Low Rate of English Proficiency and High Percentage of Eligible Voters**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2009-2013.
*82.2% of the population is English Proficient. Limited English Proficient is defined as those who do not speak English natively, and those who do not speak ‘well’ or ‘very well’. This represents the lowest quartile for English proficiency in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Education: Low College Completion Rates and Low High School Graduation Rates**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2009-2013, UC Davis Regional Opportunity Index, California Department of Education.
*Less than 76.2% of the population graduated from high school. This is the lowest quartile for graduation rates in California.
†13% or fewer adults over the age 25 have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher degree. 13% represents the lowest quartile for college education in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Economic: High Poverty Rates and Low Employment Rates**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2009-2013.
*86% or fewer of the civilian adult population (age 20-64) is employed. 86% represents the lowest quartile for employment in California.
†Over 51% of the population has a high rate of poverty, defined as having an income that is under 200% of the federal poverty level. This is the highest quartile for poverty status in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Health: High Teen Birth Rate, High Premature Mortality and Disadvantaged Communities**
Data Source: Statewide Database, UC Davis Regional Opportunity Index, California Department of Public Health Birth Statistical Master Files, CDPH 2009-2011, Census 2010, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
*11.2% or more of births in these census tracts were to teenagers. 11.2% represents the highest quartile for birth to teens in California.
†38.9 or more is the rate of potential years of life lost in these census tracts. Years of potential life lost is the number of years of life lost among those who died before 65 years of age. This measure is calculated by subtracting the age at death from 65 for all deaths that occurred before the age of 65 and dividing the sum by the total population. 38.9 represents the highest quartile for years of life lost in California.
‡These areas score in the highest quartile for disadvantaged communities in California. Disadvantaged communities are defined by the CalEnviroScreen2.0, a tool that identifies areas disproportionately burdened by and vulnerable to multiple sources of pollution.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Civic Access: Low Rate of English Proficiency and High Percentage of Eligible Voters**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2009-2013.
*82.2% of the population is English Proficient. Limited English Proficient is defined as those who do not speak English natively, and those who do not speak ‘well’ or ‘very well’. This represents the lowest quartile for English proficiency in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Education: Low College Completion Rates and Low High School Graduation Rates**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2009-2013, UC Davis Regional Opportunity Index, California Department of Education.
*Less than 76.2% of the population graduated from high school. This is the lowest quartile for graduation rates in California.
†13% or fewer adults over the age 25 have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher degree. 13% represents the lowest quartile for college education in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Economic: High Poverty Rates and Low Employment Rates**
Data Source: Statewide Database, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2009-2013.
*86% or fewer of the civilian adult population (age 20-64) is employed. 86% represents the lowest quartile for employment in California.
†Over 51% of the population has a high rate of poverty, defined as having an income that is under 200% of the federal poverty level. This is the highest quartile for poverty status in California.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map
Health: High Teen Birth Rate, High Premature Mortality and Disadvantaged Communities**
Data Source: Statewide Database, UC Davis Regional Opportunity Index, California Department of Public Health Birth Statistical Master Files, CDPH 2009-2011, Census 2010, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
*11.2% or more of births in these census tracts were to teenagers. 11.2% represents the highest quartile for birth to teens in California.
†38.9 or more is the rate of potential years of life lost in these census tracts. Years of potential life lost is the number of years of life lost among those who died before 65 years of age. This measure is calculated by subtracting the age at death from 65 for all deaths that occurred before the age of 65 and dividing the sum by the total population. 38.9 represents the highest quartile for years of life lost in California.
‡These areas score in the highest quartile for disadvantaged communities in California. Disadvantaged communities are defined by the CalEnviroScreen2.0, a tool that identifies areas disproportionately burdened by and vulnerable to multiple sources of pollution.
**Click the "Visible layers" button to add more layers of social and economic information to the map