Swing States

Introduction

Swing states, also known as battleground states, are an important component of the US electoral process. These states are considered to be electorally competitive, meaning that their political opinion is relatively evenly split between Democratic and Republican voters. Swing states often determine which party wins an election and can be identified by a combination of factors including: the history of voting patterns in the state, party registration numbers, polling data and recent election results. While some swing states are typically Democratic or Republican-leaning, they still remain competitive because their electoral votes could go either way depending on the outcome of the election. This is why campaigns pay special attention to these states when developing strategies for winning close races. Swing state voter turnout tends to be higher than in other states because citizens understand how important their vote might be in determining who will win an election. Additionally, swing state voters are often exposed to more political ads than other voters due to the number of candidates vying for their support.