Completing your Policy Data Brief
You have reached the final page of Data Analysis for Policy Making: Voting & Redistricting in Georgia. Before you slide to complete the course, use the framework below to write your Policy Data Brief outline.
This is your final artifact. It does not need to be a finished brief—it is an outline that proves you have moved from learning to application. Fill in each section with your own research question, data, finding, and recommendation.
Your Policy Data Brief outline
Section 1 — Research Question
Write one sentence using the three-part formula: [outcome] + [comparison] + [jurisdiction + time period].
Section 2 — Data Source
Name your dataset, the issuing agency, the time period, and where to access it. Use one of the sources introduced in this course: Georgia voter file (sos.ga.gov), GA precinct election results (sos.ga.gov), ACS CVAP (census.gov), or Redistricting Data Hub shapefiles.
Section 3 — Key Finding
Write 2–3 sentences. Lead with one number. Include the explicit comparison. Hedge appropriately — especially if your finding involves redistricting (effects ≠ intent post-Callais). Note one data limitation.
Section 4 — Methodology Note
Write 2–4 sentences: what you calculated, what you excluded, how many records were affected, and what the data cannot tell you.
Section 5 — Policy Recommendation
Write 1–3 sentences. Name the actor. Name the specific action. Scope it to what your finding actually supports.
What you have built in this course
Across six modules, you have learned:
- The four stages of the policy data cycle and how they produce a brief
- How to read Georgia's voter file, calculate turnout, and identify data quality issues
- What redistricting data contains, how the Gingles framework worked, and what Callais v. Landry changed
- How to conduct disparate impact analysis using RPV, proximity modeling, and ballot rejection rates
- How to build a defensible finding: specific numbers, honest comparisons, appropriate hedges
- How to write all five sections of a Policy Data Brief that a policymaker can actually use
The legal landscape in Georgia and nationally continues to evolve after Callais v. Landry. Keep learning. Track new litigation. Follow the Brennan Center, SCOTUSblog, and the Redistricting Data Hub for ongoing developments. Your analysis will be most powerful when it combines the data skills you have developed here with attention to the legal standards currently in effect.
Congratulations on completing the course.
Action: Complete your Policy Data Brief outline, then slide to mark the course complete. Congratulations.