• FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    11 months ago

    The fuck is a battleground state and why is politics using these terms…

    • donuts@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      11 months ago

      American presidential elections are carried out at the state level, and in almost all the states the winner in that state takes all of the state’s electors (which are people, but you can think of them as points needed to win the overall election).

      What the media and political junkies call a “battleground” or “swing” state are the states which are traditionally very close races or otherwise polling closely going into the election, making them hard to predict the outcome based on statistics.

      It’s entirely possible for Trump to win in Oregon or for Biden to win in Kentucky, but when you look at past and present statistics it’s not very likely to happen either way.

    • RubberStuntBaby@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      Since America doesn’t use the popular vote in presidential elections, only states that are nearly evenly divided matter. All other states votes are taken for granted.