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These US 'Swing' States May Decide 2020 Election

Patsy Widakuswara

   WASHINGTON - With days to go before the Nov. 3 election, Republican
   President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden
   are campaigning intensely in the closely contested "battleground" or
   "swing" states.

   These states are important in the U.S. presidential election, where the
   winner is not decided by the popular vote. Instead, each state has a
   set number of electoral votes, which are awarded to one candidate or
   the other depending on the popular vote outcome in that state. In all
   but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who gets the most popular votes
   in a state wins all of that state's electoral votes.

   This "winner takes all" electoral system drives candidates to campaign
   more heavily in competitive states where victory could mean a clearer
   mathematical path to the White House.

   Closely contested states that could "swing" toward either party, such
   as Pennsylvania, receive more attention from candidates than other
   states, such as California, where one party is almost certain to
   receive a majority of votes.

   2020 Swing States

   About a dozen states are considered "perennial" swing states because
   they have repeatedly had close contests in recent presidential
   elections. Six of those are seen as top prizes in 2020 because their
   large populations give them more electoral votes. They are Arizona,
   Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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