The winner of Tuesday’s (Nov 5) US presidential election will govern a nation of greater than 330 million individuals, however the contest will virtually actually be determined by simply tens of hundreds of voters – a tiny fraction of the populace – in a handful of states.
That is as a result of solely seven of the 50 states are actually aggressive this yr, with the remainder all comfortably Democratic or Republican, in keeping with public opinion polls.
Amongst these seven battlegrounds, Pennsylvania, probably the most populous, stands out because the probably state to find out whether or not Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump is the subsequent president.
The candidates’ methods replicate this actuality, with the overwhelming majority of their advert spending and campaign events directed at those seven states that swing between political parties.
Here’s a nearer take a look at why the US presidential race might be determined by a small subset of People:
WHY ISN’T THE ELECTION DECIDED BY THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE?
Not like elections for different federal candidates and statewide places of work, the presidential contest will not be solely based mostly on the favored vote. As a substitute, beneath a system often known as the Electoral School, the profitable candidate in every state, in addition to Washington DC, receives that state’s electoral votes, that are largely based mostly on inhabitants.
A candidate must win a majority of the nation’s 538 electoral votes, or 270, which is feasible even when dropping the general nationwide vote, as Trump did when he received the White Home in 2016.
Within the occasion of a 269-269 tie, the US Home of Representatives chooses the winner, with every state’s delegation getting a single vote – a state of affairs that analysts say would possible favour former President Trump.
If each state apart from the battlegrounds votes as anticipated, that may give Vice President Harris 226 electoral votes and Trump 219, with the remaining 93 up for grabs.
