The election map is a detailed visualization of Republican and Democrat leanings across the country; unfortunately, third-party information isn't included. Google uses ratings from Cook, Rothenberg, CQ-Roll Call and RealClearPolitics to create the maps. Data is updated on the map as it becomes available from the polling agencies. Users can toggle between House and Senate data, or filter data by source.
Google's 2010 election map is just one aspect of the company's public information campaign to keep citizens informed about local and national politics. You can also check out the Election Center, which lets users submit and access information on voter registration, polling places and more.
Google Maps Product Marketing Manager Jesse Friedman wrote today on the Google blog that the election map is powered by Fusion Tables and the Google Maps API. "Even if you’re not a programmer," he wrote, "there's a lot that you can do with Fusion Tables to manipulate and visualize data, and in the spirit of the season, check out our new tutorial that demonstrates how to analyze Census data by congressional district and share what you’ve come up with."
You can also embed the map widget, as we've done below. Check out some of the available data, and let us know what you think of this tool in the comments.