(NEXSTAR) – Every vote counts, but the votes across seven key battleground states are being watched more closely than the rest, at least when it comes to the 2024 presidential race.
These seven states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – have a realistic chance of going either way, making them crucial in the paths to victory for both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As of 9 p.m. Eastern Time, all seven were too close to call or still voting.
The number of electoral votes in each states ranges from six in Nevada to 19 in Pennsylvania. A candidate doesn’t need to win all seven to become president – just enough to get them to 270 electoral votes. There are several possible paths to victory.
President Joe Biden won six of the seven battleground states (all but North Carolina) in 2020, but Trump fared better in 2016. When he faced Hillary Clinton, Trump won six of the seven swing states. Only Nevada went blue in 2016.
Live election results in the 7 swing states
The interactive maps below show the results in each of the seven key states as they are reported. Note that no votes will be reported until polls have closed in that state.
How many electoral votes are up for grabs?
The swing states combined make up an important 93 electoral votes, but not all seven are equally valuable:
- Arizona: 11 electoral votes
- Georgia: 16 electoral votes
- Michigan: 15 electoral votes
- Nevada: 6 electoral votes
- North Carolina: 16 electoral votes
- Pennsylvania: 19 electoral votes
- Wisconsin: 10 electoral votes
How long will it take to count votes?
We could be waiting past election night for meaningful results from some of the key states. While Georgia may be called sooner, due to its higher proportion of early and in-person voting, there could be delays elsewhere on the map.
Wisconsin, for example, isn’t allowed to start processing mail-in ballots until Election Day, which is expected to lead to delays. Arizona can start pre-processing ballots they receive before Tuesday, but a large number of mail-in ballots are expected to be dropped off on Election Day, The Hill reports, and those will take a while to go through.
The closer the race is, of course, the longer it will take to determine a clear winner.