Over the last week, we’ve published a series of election previews in all seven battleground states and five other states with races to watch.
These comprehensive Election Day cheat sheets offer background on presidential odds, polling, and the role each state could play as Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump run up their Electoral College scores. They touch on other key races, answer quick questions like “what time do the polls close there?” or “how many registered voters are there?”
We hope you’ll find them hopeful as Election Day unfolds, so here they are, all in one place! Happy reading!
Presidential battleground states:
Voters in Arizona have no shortage of competitive races to decide in the Nov. 5 general election, with control of the White House, the U.S. Senate and House, and both chambers of the state legislature in the balance.
People wait in line at a polling place during the first day of early in-person voting in Asheville, North Carolina, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Michigan may play a decisive role in a presidential election for the third consecutive time as its voters decide competitive races that could tip the balance of power in both chambers of Congress as well as the state House of Representatives.
Nevada is once again home to competitive races that could determine control of the White House and the U.S. Senate. It is also one of 10 states where voters will decide a high-profile ballot measure on abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
North Carolina voters will cast ballots for president and governor in the Nov. 5 general election while many in the state are still dealing with the aftermath and massive destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
Pennsylvania voters are almost sure to play a pivotal role in the Nov. 5 general election, with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and the state legislature in the balance.
Wisconsin is no stranger to close presidential elections. The margin of victory was less than a percentage point in the state's 2020, 2016, 2004, and 2000 elections. So it might be again this Election Day.
Other states to watch:
Nebraska votes solidly Republican in statewide elections, but will nonetheless be closely watched in the presidential race on Election Day. The reason? It's one of two states—Maine is the other—that doesn’t award all of its Electoral College votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
A worker from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office sets up voting booths in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
Democrats in Texas will once again wait on Election Day to find out whether this is the year they can win a statewide race after three decades of losing to Republicans.
Once considered a pivotal swing state in presidential elections, Florida has proved reliably Republican in recent years. A Democrat hasn’t won the state’s Electoral College votes since 2012, when former President Barack Obama succeeded with a margin of less than one percentage point.
When Montana voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election, they’ll decide what may just be the nation’s marquee U.S. Senate race, and with it, perhaps which party will control the closely divided chamber in the next Congress. They’ll also vote on a high-profile ballot question on abortion, as well as less competitive races for president and governor.
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