election-forecasting 0.1.1.dev4

State-level presidential election forecasting models

Election Forecasting Models

State-level presidential election forecasting using polling time-series data from the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Installation

Local Installation

# Install with uv
uv pip install -e .

Docker

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t election-forecasting .

# Run forecasts in container
docker run -v $(pwd)/predictions:/app/predictions \
           -v $(pwd)/metrics:/app/metrics \
           election-forecasting election-forecast --dates 8

# Run with parallel execution (utilize host CPU cores)
docker run -v $(pwd)/predictions:/app/predictions \
           -v $(pwd)/metrics:/app/metrics \
           election-forecasting election-forecast --dates 16 --parallel 4

The Docker setup automatically mounts volumes for predictions/ and metrics/ so results persist on your host machine.

Usage

Quick Start: Run Everything

# Run complete pipeline: forecast, compare, and plot
election-run-all

# With custom number of forecast dates
election-run-all --dates 8

Individual Commands

Run All Models

# Run with default 4 forecast dates
election-forecast

# Run with custom number (n) of forecast dates
election-forecast --dates n

# Run with verbose output
election-forecast -v

# Run with parallel execution (recommended for many dates)
election-forecast --dates 16 --parallel 4

# Set random seed for reproducibility
election-forecast --seed 42

Parallel Execution: Use --parallel N (or -w N) to enable multi-core processing. The workload is parallelized by forecast date, so this is most beneficial when using many dates (e.g., 8+). With 4 workers and 8+ dates, you can see significant speedup on multi-core machines.

Compare Model Performance

election-compare

This generates:

• model_comparison.csv - Detailed metrics table
• model_comparison.png - Performance visualization
• Console output with rankings

Generate State-Level Plots

# Plot key swing states (default)
election-plot

# Plot all states with polling data
election-plot --all

# Plot specific states
election-plot --states FL PA MI WI

Models

1. Hierarchical Bayes (Best Overall)

Advanced Bayesian model combining fundamentals prior with Kalman-filtered polls and systematic bias correction.

File: election_forecasting/models/hierarchical_bayes.py

2. Poll Average

Simple weighted poll-of-polls average with empirical uncertainty estimation.

File: election_forecasting/models/poll_average.py

3. Improved Kalman

Brownian motion with drift using Kalman filter/RTS smoother and stronger regularization.

File: election_forecasting/models/improved_kalman.py

4. Kalman Diffusion

Basic diffusion model with EM algorithm for parameter estimation.

File: election_forecasting/models/kalman_diffusion.py

Data Sources

• Polls: FiveThirtyEight 2016 state-level polling data (4,209 polls across 50 states)
• Election Results: MIT Election Lab 1976-2020 presidential election results (we use 2016)

Outputs

All results are saved to:

• predictions/ - Model predictions in CSV format
• metrics/ - Evaluation metrics (Brier Score, Log Loss, MAE)
• plots/ - State-level forecast visualizations (organized by model)

License

MIT