In USA, more than 200 million voters are called to the polls for the November presidential elections. However, due to its voting system hintthe result can only depend on a series of states considered “hinge”: it is Pennsylvania, Michigan Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada, who gather between 5 and 21 voters each.
Due to his indirect voting system, The citizens first vote for the electors, and they choose the president. This way, Whoever obtains the most votes from the representatives of the Electoral College will assume the presidency of the country. Therefore, the Republican donald trump and the democrat Kamala Harris They focus their energies on these states and invest most of their funds there.
Why is the United States considered a hinge state?
These seven States are considered undecidedwhich may end up defining the head of state of the first power, on November 5.
The hinge states do not lean clearly toward one party or the other, unlike Democratic-friendly states (such as California either New Yorkfor example) or to the Republicans (Texas either Floridaamong others). These states represent a significant number of voters (93 of 538).
Since it doesn’t matter who wins the majority of votes nationwide, The only thing that counts is the result in each state. The candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of its electors (except Nebraska and Maine).
The objective is reach the magic number of 270synonymous with national victory.
What is the election situation in the hinge states?
Pennsylvania
Perhaps the most coveted state is Pennsylvania, which currently It has 21 major voters. Trump won narrowly in 2016 and Biden won in 2020 but also by a narrow margin. In this state in industrial decline, workers tend to turn their backs on Democrats.
But Harris counts on big infrastructure projects launched by President Biden and with the support of unions to keep it. The big cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh They lean towards her, while Trump bets on the rural population.
Michigan
Georgia also appears as a tempting state with 15 voters. Their votes went to Trump in 2016, to everyone’s surprise, against Hillary Clinton. And Biden won it back in 2020. In this cradle of the automobile industry, Harris received support from the sector’s main union (UAW).
It remains to be seen the election of its numerous Arab-American or Muslim voters, outraged by the United States’ support for Israel in the Gaza war.
Trump is betting in particular on the cost of living to mobilize the middle class against Harris, who presents herself as the heir to a Biden mandate marked by inflation.
Wisconsin
Along with Pennsylvania and Michigan, and with ten electorsis the third state that cracked the “blue wall” in 2016, a block of about twenty states considered Democratic. Hillary Clinton lost her big ten voters, which Biden won back in 2020.
As a sign of the importance of the state for them, the Republicans held their convention there in July, in Milwaukee. Among moderate voters, Democrats agitate “existential threat to democracy” that Trump would represent.
Georgia
Maybe it is the most important of the hinge states, along with Pennsylvania. In the heart of the religious and conservative south, Georgia traditionally entrusts its 15 electors to the Republican candidate. In the wake of anti-racist movements, this state with a large African-American community preferred Democrat Biden four years ago.
Harris has a better profile to attract young people and minorities from urban centers and universities. But The religious electorate praises Trump as the architect of the suspension of the federal abortion guarantee.
North Carolina
This other southern state It has 15 voters. North Carolina has not voted Democratic since Barack Obama in 2008but its governor has been a Democrat since 2017. However, as in Georgia, Harris has the support of 20% of its African-American and young population.
Democrats are striving to increase the number of registered voters in hopes of improving turnout.
Arizona
This predominantly Republican southwestern state, with 11 voters, He surprised in 2020 by choosing Biden by only 10,457 votes. Trump has focused his campaign on illegal immigration, an important issue in this border state. This works against Harris.
The hope of the current vice president lies in the 2022 midterm elections. There the state preferred a Democrat for governor, to the detriment of a Trumpist candidate.
Snowfall
This western state has five electors and hasn’t voted for a Republican since George Bush in 2004. But the cConservatives believe they can achieve it thanks to their Latino populationpart of which distances itself from the Democrats.
Harris supporters hope the arrival of new residents will work in their favor. These are younger and better trained employees, coming from California to work in the technology sector or in the energy transition.
How does the voting system work in the United States?
In the United States voters choose the candidate they want voters in their state to vote for. So much so that the votes of the voters of these seven states will have much more weight than those of the others.
To be an eligible candidate, you must meet a series of requirements: You must be a US citizen by birth, have resided in the country for at least 14 years, and be over 35 years old. From there you can register one year before the elections, in the period from March to May.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
