The Electoral College is a funny thing, and thanks to the format of the American election apparatus, Tuesday’s vote comes down to nine battleground states. How these states end up voting might not align with the numbers of the popular vote. But the winner of a few key states will win the election. The states are: Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
Far more money has been spent on campaign advertising in these states. In fact, there are some areas of the country that were nearly spared from the onslaught of negative attack ads that flooded these states. Some experts have even said that the election comes down to a handful of counties, which could go either way and carry an entire state. When the political landscape is as divided as it is today, this is no surprise.
Thankfully, The New York Times has created an interactive graphic of the possible outcomes of each battleground state and the effect that winning combinations of states has on the overall election. In the grandest terms, Obama has many more paths to victory than Romney, who needs to muster wins in the big states, Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida, to stand a chance.
It is truly coming down to the wire. Less than 48 hours to go until Election Day.
