On November 5, 2024, eligible voters in the United States will cast ballots to elect our next President and Vice President. It has been a tediously long election cycle with the deciding votes likely to originate from the seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. So, what makes them battlegrounds?

U.S. elections are not determined strictly by popular vote; they’re determined by votes cast in the Electoral College. Each State gets as many votes in the Electoral College as they have U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives; the District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. In 48 states and Washington D.C., candidates with a majority popular vote in the State or District get all of the electoral votes; Maine and Nebraska assign their electoral votes proportionally. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to be declared a victor.

Forty-three states plus the District of Columbia reliably yield their votes candidates from one of the two major political parties. Popular vote in the seven aforementioned battleground states could go either way. These electoral votes provide the tipping point for that all-important 270-vote tally. Here’s how they rolled in the past few elections:

Not surprisingly, the candidates spend most of their time and money campaigning in those states.

But here’s an interesting wrinkle to the election story. Voter turnout over the past 40 years has been rather anemic with participation peaking at 66% in the last presidential election.

Given the slim margins that determine the winner-take-all-stakes in the battleground states, a party that excels in getting out the vote in these states could turn the tide of the election.

A good friend put me on to a company that uses post cards to encourage voter participation. I signed on as one of 296,000 volunteers who mailed 40 million post cards to voters in swing states. On each of the 500 post cards I addressed by hand, I personally thanked people for registering to vote, encouraged them to make a plan for voting on November 5th, and assured them that every vote matters.

Elections are consequential moments in the life of a country. This year seems all the more important given the disparity in vision and plans that each party has brought to the table. I hope every voter takes the duties as citizens to heart.

Every vote matters.