Kentucky

I've never really understood the tendency for poor, white voters to vote republican, but Kentucky seems to be like other parts of the south in that way. Religion certainly plays a part and coal is influential also, but I think it's influence is not as great as it is sometimes portrayed.

One thing I noticed about the map was Elliott County - the light blue county in eastern Kentucky. It has voted for the democratic candidate in every presidential election but it has far more in common with it's red neighbors than with the other blue counties in the state. I would love to know why that is. I also expected Madison County to be blue but it was not. It is heavily influenced by a university and has Berea which I've always thought of as a liberal "artist town".

I was born in Kentucky and have lived here for most of my life. It's actually a pretty nice place, but the political climate is the one main thing I wish would change. I think if we can ever figure out why people vote the way they do, then we might have a hope of turning the state around.