Sample CSV
| Party | Seats | Previous party | Previous seats | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 411 | Labour | 202 | United Kingdom |
| Conservative | 121 | Conservative | 365 | United Kingdom |
| Liberal Democrats | 72 | Liberal Democrats | 11 | United Kingdom |
| Reform UK | 5 | Brexit Party | 0 | United Kingdom |
How to Create an Election Results Chart
A step by step walkthrough for building a stacked seat or vote bar with a majority line and a previous election comparison in PlotSet.
About 8 minutesYou will end up with one stacked bar showing every party's result, a line at the majority, and a thinner bar for the previous election.
Expect about eight minutes. Most of it goes on preparing the data and setting party colours.
The data you need
One row per party with its seats or votes, then optional columns for the previous election and a filter column for regions or rounds.
Seats or votes must be plain numbers, with no thousands separators or percent signs.
The previous party column is read row by row, so it can list different parties in a different order.
The current and previous results sit on one sheet as two pairs of columns.
A filter column needs more than one distinct value to show buttons or a dropdown.
The steps
The exact click path in PlotSet, from a blank template to a finished chart.
- 01
Open the Election Results template
From the PlotSet dashboard, start a new project and choose Election Results Chart from the Bar Charts category. It loads with the UK 2024 result against 2019.
Every guide starts here. Pick the category, then the template: it is the same grid whichever chart type you are after. - 02
Add your results
Import a CSV or .xlsx file, paste rows from a spreadsheet, or connect a Google Sheet. Put each party and its seats or votes on one row.
The data view, shown here on a bar chart project. Upload a CSV, lift the numbers out of an image with Magic Import, or sync a Google Sheet. The panel is identical for every chart type. - 03
Check the column bindings
Bind the party and result columns, then the previous party and previous result columns if you want the comparison bar.
Bindings decide which column becomes the label, which supplies the values and which drives the colour. Auto Binding guesses them from your headers, so check it rather than assume it. - 04
Set the majority line
In the Majority line tab, set the value where the line crosses the bar. For a 650 seat chamber that is 326.
The Preview tab for a Election Results Chart. Every styling control lives in the outlined panel, each on its own tab: appearance, header, footer and the options specific to this chart type. - 05
Add a filter for regions or rounds
Bind a column such as Nation to the filter, then choose buttons or a dropdown in the Controls tab.
- 06
Set party colours
In the Color tab, give each party its familiar colour so readers recognise it without the legend.
- 07
Tune the labels
The Labels tab sets whether names and numbers sit inside or above each segment, and how small parties are handled.
- 08
Publish and embed
Publish for a live chart and copy the embed code from the Share dialog. Click through each filter value once before you share it.
Share is how a finished chart becomes a public link and an embed code.
Start from the Election Results Chart template with sample data already loaded, then swap in your own.
Open the templatePublish, embed or export it
The last stretch is the same for every chart type: Share turns the chart into a live public link and an embed code, Export writes it out as a static file.
Share: public link and embed code
Activating the embed code and public link publishes the chart. The link is safe to send to anyone, and the embed code drops into any page as an iframe that keeps the hover tooltips and the interactivity. Edit the chart later and hit Recreate to push those changes out to both.
Export: SVG, PNG or JPG
Export writes a static copy at whatever size you need. SVG stays sharp at any scale and can still be edited in a design tool; PNG and JPG are the safe choices for slides and documents. The scale multiplier is what gets you a crisp image on a retina screen.
Styling tips for a Election Results Chart
Group the smallest parties
Combine them into Others so every remaining segment is wide enough to label.
Show the change
The change figure next to each result is often the story. Keep it on.
Match party colours
Use the colours readers already associate with each party.
Use the filter, not more charts
One chart with a filter embeds once and stays consistent across regions.
Common mistakes when making a Election Results Chart
The bar does not fill the width
The segments add up to less than the total. Check for a missing party or a wrong total.
The majority line is in the wrong place
The threshold is a fixed value. Reset it when the chamber size changes between regions.
No previous bar appears
The previous party and result columns are not bound. Check the bindings.
Labels are cut off
Narrow segments cannot hold a name. Group small parties or move labels outside the bar.
Learn more about the Election Results Chart
Not sure the Election Results Chart is the right choice? See what it is, when to use it and when not to.
Election Results Chart: common questions
Yes. Use votes or percentages in the result column and set the line to 50 or any threshold.
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