The U.S. presidential election is now just a week away. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris did everything they could to win the election. The new president will be decided by the votes of approximately 240 million people. Voting will take place on November 5. But to win the presidency, Harris and Trump must win the hearts and minds of voters in swing states. In this context, it is important to understand which swing states are there and where do they get so much power from?
Seven states in the United States: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina are known as swing states. These states have the largest number of electors. Voter sentiment here always swings wildly, and it’s difficult to gauge electoral sentiment among voters in these states. Their tendencies are always changing. Therefore, these states are called swing states.
According to the New York Times, the largest swing state in the United States is Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are doing everything they can to win here. The two candidates’ campaigns have spent more than $138 million on television and radio ads in the state since September.
Why are swing states important in the United States?
These states have historical importance in U.S. elections. However, on Election Day, people choose their favorite candidate, but their vote does not directly elect the president. Instead, voters choose the Electoral College, which is made up of electors. The number of electors in each state is equal to the party’s number of representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. For example, if the number of Michigan Senate members is 4, then the number of electors in the state will also be 4.
These electors vote directly for the candidate of their choice. Out of a total of 538 Electoral Colleges, any candidate needs 270 votes to become president.
So under such circumstances, the question arises, is the public vote still meaningful? In effect, the public elects their state’s electors, who then vote on behalf of the public for the presidential candidate of their choice. Blue and red are also very important in American politics. Blue represents the Democratic Party and red represents the Republican Party.
How many Electoral College votes are there in swing states?
Pennsylvania – 19
Georgia – 16
North Carolina – 16
Michigan – 15
Arizona – 11
Wisconsin – 10
Nevada – 6
In a swing situation, who has the upper hand, Harris or Trump?
The latest survey shows a tight race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in seven swing states across the United States. But Trump has slight leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, while Kamala Harris appears to have slight leads in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. In such circumstances, competition is fierce.
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is actually the body that elects the president. To understand it in simple terms, in a presidential election, the public votes for the members of the Electoral College, whose job is to elect the president and vice president of the country. Electors to elect the president will cast their votes on the Tuesday of the first week of November. After being elected, these electors gather in their respective states in December to vote for the president.
How did the president decide?
The election of the President of the United States is an indirect process in which citizens of all states vote for certain members of the Electoral College. These members are called electors. These electors then cast their votes directly, called electoral votes. Their votes go to the President and Vice President of the United States. The candidates who receive the majority of the electoral votes are elected President and Vice President.
You know, in an election with a total of 538 seats, the candidate who wins 270 or more seats wins, but he does not necessarily become the president. It is possible for a candidate to win the most votes nationwide but still not win the Electoral College. Such a case came to light in 2016, when Hillary Clinton failed to win the Electoral College.