(Preview of the Ward Portal | Image: Sixty-Six Wards)

Election data fans rejoice! There's a really useful new Ward Portal tool from Sixty-Six Wards blogger Jonathan Tannen that now makes it much easier to analyze past election results or plan a campaign. 

One of the most important things you need to do to mount an effective political campaign, whether it's for committee person or state rep or any other office, is to familiarize yourself with the past election data from that district to set benchmarks and goals. Which wards and divisions do you need to do well in to win? Which areas had an above-average undervote for your opponent, if they've been on the ballot before? Where did past candidates do well who may have a similar base as the one you're targeting?

The election results tool at Philadelphia Votes, the City Commissioners' website, is a good first-edition version of this, and the new Ward Portal supplements this with additional features like the ability to view multiple division results at once, and reorder them based on different characteristics, including demographics. 

Here are a few sample screenshots from my ward, the 18th Ward, in Fishtown and South Kensington.




These are the 2019 At-Large Election Results from my division, 18-10. You can select a candidate, an election, and specific wards and divisions to compare how different candidates performed in different places, or between elections. For example, here's how Derek Green performed in my division in 2019 compared to 2015.



If you're planning on running for committee person in 2022, you can also look up the voter registration statistics, population, and turnout information for the division you'll be running in.  


Bookmark the Ward Portal and reach out to Jonathan Tannen at the Sixty-Six Wards blog with any suggestions for additional features.

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