The polls are open, this Tuesday (5), in the seven swing states that will be decisive in defining the presidential elections in the United States.
The state of Nevada was the last among the seven to allow voters to register their votes in this electoral process between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
In addition to Nevada the set of pendulum states is formed by the following states:
- Arizona
- Georgia
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
What are pendulum states?
Swing states do not have a tendency or tradition in relation to voting.
Unlike states like New York, which traditionally votes Democratic, or Texas, which has a tradition of favoring Republicans, swing states are territories of high unpredictability.
Professor Carlos Gustavo Poggio, from Berea College, however, explains that this configuration of American states was not always like this.
California, for example, has been a Republican state in the past, but a swing state is considered to be one that swings from one party to another in consecutive elections or by a very small margin of votes.
Lucas Leite illustrates the concept through the example of Georgia, a state that was decisive for Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, where the vote difference margin was very low, at less than 0.3%.
Arizona and Georgia are swing states that used to vote more Republican, at least Georgia had a very common Republican vote. Now, the state has become a pendulum state and has changed elections, as in Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
Factors that make a state pendulum
Demographic and urban-rural issues, according to Leite, are, in most cases, determining the voting trend in the region.
“While the rural area remains very close to the Republicans, from a more religious, conservative perspective, in urban centers we see a more progressive or at least not so conservative voter, with a slightly different appeal to themes that are dear to these groups. ”, he explains.
ESPM International Relations professor Denilde Holzhacker clarifies that social and population changes are also factors that influence the state’s voting trend. She explains using the example of Arizona and Florida:
“There has been a very big change in the population in Arizona in recent years, so what was traditional for pro-Republicans has changed to be Democrat, but even so it remains like a pendulum, because I am not sure if this is a process that it will last.”
“Florida, as another example, for many years was a swing state because it had a concentration of Latinos, who were more Democratic than Republican. But, in the last elections, the state consolidated itself as a pro-republican state”, she adds.
See images from voting day in the USA
CNN Brasil provides super live coverage
CNN Brasil is providing super coverage of the dispute between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for the White House in the American elections, which take place this Tuesday, November 5th.
In direct connection with the American headquarters of CNNand interpreters on standby for translation 24 hours a day, content produced in the United States will be covered by the multiplatform that makes up the ecosystem of CNN Brazil.
The 24-hour live marathon began on Monday (4), at 11pm, with the special program “América Decide”, and will continue uninterruptedly until the results of the polls are announced.
This content was originally published in US elections: polls open in all swing states on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
