Seven 'toss-up' battleground states are set to decide the US presidential election
The US's Electoral College system means Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are effectively battling each other in only a handful of places.
ADVERTISEMENTAs the US closes in on its presidential election on 5 November, a run of recent polls shows that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are in a virtual tie — particularly in key swing states.
Under the US's electoral system, each state is allocated a certain number of Electoral College votes corresponding to their representation in Congress. There are 538 votes in total, meaning 270 are needed to secure a victory.
Most states allocate their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the statewide vote. However, Maine and Nebraska split theirs, meaning it is possible for a candidate to pick up a vote even if the other wins the state outright.
Both candidates are intensifying their efforts, and their campaigns are heavily focused on seven critical battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
If the other 43 states follow the pollsters' predictions as "solid" "leaning" or "likely" wins for each party, the election will be decided on the outcome of the seven toss-up states shown in grey above. Together they share 93 of the 538 votes available.
Harris would need 44 of these votes to win, while Trump would need 51.
Where Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 by losing Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Joe Biden reversed her loss in the 2020 election by winning all three and picking up Arizona, Georgia, and Nebraska's second congressional district.
These graphics will be updated regularly.
