Google launches Election Ratings

Google has launched a new website to track the 2010 midterm elections that makes use of data from several leading forecasters including Charlie Cook and the Rothenberg Political report.

Google's election ratings website combines ratings from several pollsters and media organizations to form an interactive map. Users can click any state or Congressional district and find out which party is projected to win November elections for the House, Senate and governor. The map uses shading to indicate a party's likelihood of winning the state or district.

"Along with other initiatives, including the Election Center with our Public Sector team and You Choose at YouTube, this map gadget is an important way that we’re working to improve communication, discourse and understanding of the political process," wrote Jesse Friedman, product marketing manager at Google Maps in a blog post published Tuesday.

The data underlying the map will be refreshed every day, and users can also embed it into their own websites.