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Summary
: Ohio, a swing state which Obama won in 2012, voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016. This election, the Biden campaign seems to have made some inroads in winning some of that lost support, reverting the state to a "swing state."
A swing state is a state targeted by presidential campaigns because it is believed to be a close race and could "swing" to either candidate.
Because presidential election are determined by Electoral College votes, and because the winner of the popular vote from each state takes all the Electoral College votes from that state, swing states end up being very important targets for presidential campaigns. For more on why Ohio is a swing state and what that means, watch this
video on PBS Learning Media
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- Ohio is on track for record absentee and in-person voting , as are many other states.
- Among the surge of early voters are young and first time voters .
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- Who is the story about?
- What is a "swing state"?
- When and where have the Trump and Biden presidential campaigns been focusing visits and advertisement money?
- Why is Ohio such an important target for presidential campaigns?
- How does the Electoral College system help turn states into swing states?
- Why do you think Ohio has been a swing state for so long?
- Do you think it's fair that candidates for president end up targeting much of their campaigning toward swing states like Ohio? Why or why not?
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