<b>Latest updates: Follow our full coverage on the </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/09/17/us-election-harris-trump-assassination-latest/"><b>US election</b></a> With <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-elections/2024/03/22/us-election-2024-candidates-dates-electoral-college-what/" target="_blank">election day</a> here, all eyes are on a group of US states that could help decide whether <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/kamala-harris" target="_blank">Kamala Harris</a> or <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/donald-trump" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> is voted into the Oval Office. Ms Harris and Mr Trump have focused most of their energy in recent weeks on campaigning in swing states including <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/09/10/they-need-our-vote-arab-americans-in-pennsylvania-say-ahead-of-harris-trump-debate/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania</a> and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/11/05/kamala-harris-michigan-rally-gaza-war/" target="_blank">Michigan</a> in an effort to secure victory. Swing states, also known as battleground states, are those that could "swing" to the Democrats or Republicans in an <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-elections/2024/11/04/us-election-2024-when-dates-how-results/" target="_blank">election</a>. They have often been won narrowly by one candidate or the other in previous presidential elections. The US uses the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/10/29/what-is-the-us-electoral-college-map-2024/" target="_blank">electoral college</a> system, in which state-appointed electors cast votes for one of the candidates, with 270 votes needed to win. With a certain number of "safe" states voting reliably <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/democrats/" target="_blank">Democrat</a> or <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/republicans/" target="_blank">Republican</a> in each election cycle, swing states play a major role in the outcome of the vote.
