That US presidential election approaches, attention turns to the key cradle states which could ultimately decide the outcome between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

These battlefieldswhere votes have historically been close include states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona.

Under the system of electoral collegeseach state has a certain number of “electors” based on population.

With candidates needing 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win, elections tend to be decided in “swing states”.

Each state’s schedule of results can provide early indicators of the overall race.

Here’s a closer look at the states to watch and expected results.

Pennsylvania – 19 votes

Pennsylvania it was once a reliable state for Democrats until it snapped its streak in 2016 when it voted for Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Trump had a narrow victory with a majority of about 44,000 votes (0.7 percent) until the state flipped to Democrats in 2020.

He voted for Joe Biden, who won by about 80,000 additional votes (1.2%).

With cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the state has been buffeted for decades by a steady decline in its industrial manufacturing base.

Trump and Harris have campaigned repeatedly in the state, where the two held their only presidential debate.

According to follow-up surveysTrump leads in the state where he survived a assassination attempt at a rally in July.

If he wins, Trump will court white rural populations and warn that migrants are overwhelming small towns, while Harris touted recent gains in infrastructure and outlined plans to invest $100 billion in manufacturing — a key issue for residents of Pittsburgh.

On Election Day, polls close at 8:00 p.m. ET, but the state may have delayed results due to rules that state that mail-in ballots cannot be processed until 7:00 a.m. that day, leading to expected delays.

Georgia – 16 votes

Georgia they were known to consistently support Republican candidates, particularly in suburban areas around Atlanta, until a historic shift in 2020 when they voted for Biden.

It was the first Democrat they had voted for in nearly 30 years, with Biden winning by a slim margin of about 12,000 votes (0.2%).

Prosecutors in Georgia have charged Trump in an election interference case after he called state officials asking them to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory.

Demographic changes in the state are thought to benefit Harris, who has courted minority voters in Georgia.

Polls in Georgia close at 7:00 PM ET.

Read on

North Carolina – 16 votes

Since 2008, despite typically shifting to the Republican Party, Democrat Barack Obama has won North Carolina in a landslide, thanks to strong turnout among black voters, young voters and newcomers in urban areas such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham.

However, they returned to the Republican column in 2012 and maintained that preference until 2020, where they voted for Trump.

The state’s population is now over 10 million, naturally increasing diversity, which benefits Democrats.

Trump may have complicated problems following a scandal involving the state’s Republican gubernatorial nominee and angering party officials who fear it could sink Trump.

In North Carolina, they aim to report nearly all (90 percent) of its votes by midnight on Election Day, with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Michigan – 15 votes

Michigan which has a large working-class population, apparently voted for Democratic candidates like Bill Clinton and Obama consistently until 2016, when Trump won by a narrow margin of just over 10,000 votes (0.2%).

It marked the first time Michigan went Republican since 1998, but it swung Democratic in 2020, with Biden winning by about 150,000 votes thanks to the support of union workers and the state’s large black community.

This time, however, Harris risks losing the support of a 200,000-strong Arab-American community that has denounced Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

This will be the first time the state has offered early voting during a presidential election, which officials hope will ease the lines on Election Day, with polls closing at 8 p.m. ET.

Arizona – 11 votes

In a big change in 2020 Arizona voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, Biden, for the first time since 1996.

Biden’s narrow victory reflected a strong turnout among young, Latino, Native American and suburban voters in Maricopa County that helped swing the state.

Reports say Trump hopes frustrations over the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policy will swing Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico, back into his favor.

Harris visited the Arizona border in September, vowing to crack down on immigration and work to revive last year’s bipartisan border bill, which he said Trump had “set aside” for political purposes.

Arizona’s high volume of early ballots cast on Election Day has historically delayed final results, which is likely to happen again this year because their polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

Wisconsin – 10 votes

Wisconsin, with its mix of working-class and rural communities, has traditionally leaned Democratic, supporting candidates like Clinton and Obama.

However, in 2016, Trump won the state by a narrow margin of about 22,000 votes (0.7 percent), marking the first Republican victory in Wisconsin since 1984.

In 2020, the state swung Democratic, with Biden winning by about 20,000 votes, buoyed by high turnout in urban areas like Milwaukee and renewed support among suburban and union voters.

Still, Trump believes the state is winnable and his party held its summer national convention there polls show Harris in the lead.

The state expects results to be delayed due to absentee voting procedures and close races, with polls closing at 9 p.m. ET.

Read on

Nevada – 6 votes

Nevada, known for its diverse population and strong union presence, has tilted Democratic in recent decades, supporting candidates like Clinton, Obama and Hillary Clinton in every election since 2004.

In 2020, Nevada remained in the Democratic column, with Biden winning by a slim margin of about 2.4 percent, thanks to strong turnout in urban centers like Las Vegas and Reno.

Now, Republicans, buoyed by Trump’s progress with Hispanic voters, are convinced they can turn the tide.

However, within weeks of becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris erased that advantage in the western state by promoting her economic plans to help small businesses and fighting inflation.

Nevada allows up to four days for the counting of postmarked mail-in ballots on Election Day, which can delay final results, with polls closing at 10 p.m. ET.