MICHIGAN, USA — Election Day is here, holding the promise of a contentious race. That's especially true in seven states this year.
Here's why.
What is a swing state?
Compared to other democratic countries, the U.S. has a unique voting system. Much of the deciding power in presidential elections is left to the Electoral College.
In recent decades, the Electoral College put disproportionate voting power in the hands of a few states that are fairly evenly divided politically.
That's why candidates focused so heavily on campaigning in just seven states this election year, known as swing states. Basically, any state where there's a good chance voters could pick either a Democratic or Republican candidate is a swing state.
What are the seven swing states?
This year, the swing states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Why is Michigan a swing state?
Michigan is getting special attention in the election this year because of that battleground state status.
That's because it's home to large, Democratic cities like Detroit as well as plenty of rural communities that skew Republican.
It's also because the state helped propel Donald Trump to victory in 2016, then Joe Biden in 2020.
What Michigan does this election may be the way the entire election will go. Get live updates as polls close and results trickle in at 13onyourside.com/elections, your hub for results.
Or, here's a complete list of Michigan county election clerk's websites where you'll find unofficial results on election night.
