The race to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency will be determined by voters in seven key swings states.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in a virtual dead heat, according to the latest polling, with outcomes in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), Georgia (16), North Carolina (16), Michigan (15), Wisconsin (10), Arizona (11) and Nevada (6) at the top of candidates’ minds.
As The Center Square reported Monday, Trump and Harris are virtually tied nationally, according to Real Clear Politics’ polling average. As many as 150 million Americans are expected to cast ballots this election.
Among the swing states that will decide the outcome, RCP has Trump leading Arizona by 2.5 points, Georgia by 1.9 points, Nevada by 1 point, North Carolina by 1.5 points, and Pennsylvania by 0.3 points.
In the same averaging of recent polls, Harris leads Michigan by 1.2 points and Wisconsin by 0.4 points.
RCP lists 108 electoral college votes as “toss up” votes, meaning the election could easily go either way.
It’s unclear whether voters will learn who wins the election by the end of the night. With the race so close, vote counting could go on for days in any of the key swing states. In 2020, President Joe Biden was declared the winner four days after Election Day. In 2016, Hillary Clinton conceded the race early Wednesday morning.
About 75 million Americans had already cast their ballot by voting early or through mail-in voting, nearly half of the number that voted in total in the last presidential election.
Election Day polls are now open across the U.S.
Also at stake on ballots across the U.S. is control of Congress: which party will win majorities in the U.S. House and Senate.
As The Center Square previously reported, 33 Senate seats are up for election Tuesday, with 19 of the seats currently occupied by Democrats, 10 by Republicans and another 4 by Independents who lean Democrat.
Those numbers mean Democrats are on the defensive in the U.S. Senate this election cycle.
