So I have a 1971 Ford LTD and I was wondering if the hose for the vacuum advance is supposed to be connected to the ported vacuum switch on the water pump? Right now it’s connected to a port on the left side of the carb (Autolite 2100).

 

Are you sure that is a ported vacuum sw ON the water pump ?

 

Generally, the vacuum advance on a cold engine was fed 'manifold' vacuum through one port of the PVS for optimal performance and timing to control throttle stumble.
When the engine warmed up, the PVS would switch to 'ported' vacuum application meaning vacuum on throttle application only to curb over advance/ping.
Some of the old vacuum advance units had advance, and retard, dual diaphragm pots. Auto, Manual, had different temp and control functions. Back in the day, they used to be color coded to help ID the switch, and its application/s. Aftermarket PVS were sort of a guess unless ordered by specific MMY. Just looking at them and the temp rating on the nose/bullet helped, but a vacuum pump was a better bet with what was what!
So,, if your rig is running ok with no PVS and just hose routed from a ported carb tap over to the advance unit, good to go. The PVS were 'by design' to optimize ignition timing, drivability for both cold start, and timing reduced or base timing on heated engines.