Ethnic Maps - Hunsicker

    The map presented above examines the population in which Americans self-report their ancestry as German. Many counties that are not of major metropolitan centers, such as Lancaster, Snyder, and Clarion, all report a very high number of German residents while also being areas that tend to vote more on the right. These tend to be areas with a 30% or higher German ancestry population. However, it is essential to note that areas that still do not have a high percentage, such as Forest, Fayette, and Clearfield, still tend to vote more right for more reasons than ancestry. Other prominent groups that self-report as being German in areas of Lancaster may, in fact, be Amish as reported in RCMS (basically a religious Census), in which areas like Lancaster are still highly prevalent in the Amish community. The reason for the more conservative views of Germans most likely aligns with many historical properties, such as the rise of Martin Luther and the escape from persecution of big government, which is still valuable to them today. The immigration influx was seen in the aftermath of World War II, in which Germans sought a better life from the war-torn country Germany had become.

    This map shows the percentage of people who speak limited English in the household and focuses on Spanish-speaking people. This can play multiple roles in the election, from the policies that one will favor over the other, such as being more liberal regarding immigration or expanding how governments disseminate information to their citizens. This is just one factor influencing how the election may turn out, but the big reason is lower voter turnout. When speaking another language, it may be harder to understand who you are voting for, especially when attending political rallies. As most rallies are in English, it may be more challenging for those speaking another language to participate. Alternatively, voting may be more complicated. As it states on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania voting Language Support page, "In localities where there are more than 10,000 or over 5% of the total voting age citizens in a single county who are members of a single language minority group, have depressed literacy rates, and do not speak English very well, then the county has to offer voting information and assistance in that language" (https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/voter-support/language-support.html). This may not seem like a huge problem, but those more niche languages can lock out some potential voters. Luckily, this is not the case for those who have the above solution or speak Spanish, Chinese, or Vietnamese.

Sanctuary Cities Map

    The last map is an interactive map compiled by the organization Center for Immigration Studies, which has put together a detailed report from sources all over the United States in which they detail so-called "Sanctuary Cities." These cities are locations where, if caught by local law enforcement or other means, they would not turn in illegal immigrants. This map, in particular, breaks it down by counties that have implemented specific policies, such as Lehigh County, which, according to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), "Will not honor ICE detainer without a judicially issued detainer, warrant, or order." These areas tend to be more Democratic in their party ideology. Though some areas, such as Mifflin County, are more Republican in their voting stance, they still have specific rules that would make it a Sanctuary City.