The map visualizes the popular vote for each US county as a traditional choropleth and as a dot map

Choropleth shading of each area gives visual importance to larger areas, making smaller but more important areas hard to see

Dot maps can be used in such cases to provide a more full picture of the data

Another technique is to use 3D extrusions to show data that would otherwise be hidden

Popular vote by county

80%+ Republican
60% Republican
50%-50%
60% Democrat
80%+ Democrat