
In US elections, it’s not just who you vote for that matters: where you live can be just as important.
The 2024 presidential race will likely come down to seven key battleground states: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada.
With tight margins, residents of these states are the most sought after by political campaigns.
As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vie for their attention, here’s what voters in swing states had to say about the sometimes stressful role they play.

The small business owner from western Pennsylvania is a registered Democrat who plans to vote for Harris.
I live in rural parts of the state and there is a lot of support for Trump here. But there are also a lot of people who, at a certain point… there are certain things that are just not acceptable. The same way many of us grew up here, he did things that just weren’t right.
(Political advertising) is more annoying than anything else because everyone knows that at the end of the day, ads are full of lies.
We are potentially playing the role of kingmaker here. It’s a little scary knowing that we’re going to play such an important role because there are a lot of people who are so exhausted by everything…
It’s very strange knowing that your neighbors will probably have a say in what happens around the world over the next four years.

Andy lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The retired Marine plans to vote for Trump, whom he supported in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
A neighbor across the street might have two Trump signs, and then the neighbor next door might have four Harris signs. It’s like a battle of who can surpass the other person.
Being at the forefront of voting every year is cool in the sense that it puts us on the map, but not necessarily always for the best things.
I recently came back (to Pennsylvania) in 2018. When I was coming to visit my now wife, I saw Trump signs everywhere in 2016 and I thought: he’s going to win.
In 2020, I saw fewer Trump signs and just felt like he had no chance of winning. Now it’s 50-50. I have no idea what’s going to happen.

This independent voter has lived in Wisconsin her entire life. The 74-year-old is retired and plans to vote for Harris.
We are constantly bombarded with political ads on television…I saw a big Trump sign lit up when I went shopping. I was sort of shocked by it. This is a huge sign.
I’m just very suspicious of what’s going on with a lot of the people in the ads. It got much worse. The commercials have become horrible…the distortion is so over the top.
I’m definitely voting for Harris and I’m concerned because it seems like MAGA (Trump’s Make America Great Again movement) can really twist things and sow confusion so easily.

This engineer from the swing state of Michigan is a Democrat who plans to vote for Harris in November.
I have never voted Republican once in my life and I still receive Republican Party mail in my mailbox almost daily. It’s non-stop, incessant here and it’s exhausting.
I want to say that it’s really discouraging (to carry the weight of a swing state) because I personally believe more in a ranked-choice style of voting and not necessarily the electoral college.
Being part of a state where things are a little more neck and neck and more decisive, it’s one of those places where I can understand that people really need to get out and make their voices heard. But we should not focus only on this state. Every state should have a similar number of people willing to get out, vote, and make their voices heard.

Jonathan is a teacher who became an American citizen this year. He plans to vote for Trump for the first time.
In general, I don’t understand – very little changes when a Republican or a Democrat becomes president. I don’t quite understand the hysteria.
I don’t think there are many people my age that I hang out with who are desperate for either candidate. Trump talks about the treatment of migrants in relation to the issue of abortion and the treatment of unborn children. I think Trump is a lesser evil than Kamala Harris in this regard.
I barely watch typical American television. We probably get more mail at home, but that’s because now I’m registered to vote, so I see more. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly more widespread.

This independent voter supported Biden in the last presidential election and plans to vote for Harris this year. Biden only narrowly won Arizona in 2020.
It seems to me that Trump voters are more exposed to the public. They have their flags. They have their signs. They have their bumper stickers. I don’t know if they’re proud or if they’re trying to convince everyone to do something, but it seems more widespread.
I’ve seen a few Harris signs and I like them. But I think the people who support Harris are not like you.
I get nervous sometimes because I want Harris to win, but I’m like, “I can only do one thing. I can only do one thing and that’s put my vote in and that’s all I can do.” I can do.”

This independent voter is a greenskeeper at a Michigan golf course and plans to reluctantly support Trump in the election.
I live in a rural area, so it’s very, very Trumpy here. It’s almost embarrassing because we get a lot of tourists here and we’re like, are you going to put that much Trump stuff on your walls?
I mentioned to my wife that the campaigns were targeting me. I am an independent voter in a swing state. Ultimately, I consider myself a drop in the bucket.
I understand how things work with the Electoral College and I’m in a swing state, so my vote has a little more unusual value than it normally would. But I try not to think of it that way. I’m just a regular guy who votes like everyone else.

The 34-year-old teacher from the swing state of Georgia is an independent voter who plans to vote for Harris.
I’m really anxious. I know this is a very close race between our two candidates.
Political ads are everywhere. Every streaming service, every YouTube video, everything has ads. I noticed that the Harris-Walz campaign is running significantly more advertising than the Trump-Vance campaign here in Georgia.
I think it’s exciting. I’m excited to see Georgia become a battleground state. For so long, he was staunchly red and staunchly Republican.
Having this kind of conversation and knowing that my vote counts a little more and is more important than it traditionally was is exciting. This motivates me to get involved in the political process.

This paralegal from Beaver, Pennsylvania – the swing state with the most electoral votes – is a Democrat who will vote for Harris.
I’m trying to stay optimistic, but I’m still pretty anxious because we’re in Pennsylvania and the division is surrounded everywhere.
I guess that’s what continues to make me anxious about living in Pennsylvania and knowing how important Pennsylvania is in this federal election. I hate how purple he is right now.
It’s like a responsibility to belong to a state like this. The conversation about being in Pennsylvania and the burden of the number of delegates we have and all that – it’s really wild.

