Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona.
With 50 states participating in the vote, these seven battleground states are likely to decide whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will become the next president of the United States.
But which way will they swing?
A USA TODAY Network team visited seven counties, one in each battleground state. Voters in that county will play a pivotal role in determining whether former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris wins the state and ultimately the presidency.
Join us on a trip across America, visiting 7 counties in 7 days. We speak with voters and election officials about their hopes, concerns, fears and expectations for the two candidates in a presidential election like no other.
Sign up to vote: Text the USA TODAY elections team.
Richmond County, Georgia
Georgia, heavily targeted by both the presidential race and Richmond County, could hold important clues as to whether Trump or Harris will win. Election officials fear another close result.
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Recent polls show a close race between Trump and Harris in North Carolina, a state that Democrats haven’t won since 2008. Voter registration has skyrocketed in Cabarrus County over the past decade, with people of color leading the way.
Erie County, Pennsylvania
In 2020, Erie County was one of only 25 out of 3,143 counties in the nation to boomerang from Obama to Trump to Biden. Now, Erie County Republicans are carving out a voter registration advantage for Democrats, as many voters look to the Keystone State as the key to victory in 2024.
Oakland County, Michigan
Oakland County is Michigan’s wealthiest county, with a population of 1.3 million people, larger than eight states. Abortion rights have been a key issue in the county, where 64% of voters approved a 2022 ballot initiative that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution.
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Waukesha County, which borders Milwaukee to the west, is the state’s third most populous county and the only “red” county in the top three, behind Democratic strongholds Milwaukee and Dane counties. Democrats are working to chip away at Republican dominance in the county.
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County, home to Reno, is known as the most politically divided region in the state. Washoe County’s political makeup is diverse, with 32% of registered voters identifying as Republican, 30% as Democrat, 30% as Independent, and 8% as other political parties, including Independent Americans, Libertarians, and the Green Party.
Maricopa County, Arizona
Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win Arizona in 2020 since Bill Clinton. Biden won the county in 2020 by about 49,000 votes. While Democrats are pushing hard for abortion rights, Republicans are seeking political gain from border security.