Sick Of The Election? Just Be Happy You Don't Live In A Swing State!
It could always be worse...
Whether you're "with her" or you're looking to "make America great again", we can probably all agree that we're about ready for the 2016 election to stop clogging up our newsfeed. Every morning as I aimlessly scroll through Facebook, it feels like my entire timeline is dominated by political opinions. Groan.
As someone who currently lives in California, however, I just have to remind myself that it could be a lot worse.
A swing state is a state where no particular political party holds a lock down on the vote for a presidential election. This could be because the state is about evenly split with Democrats and Republicans, or because there is a high number of voters who swing to either party depending on the election.
There are eleven states that are traditional considered swing states:
- Colorado
- Florida
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
These eleven states in particular are being bombarded with political ads. Sometimes many of us forget, however, just how important these "battleground states" truly are.
As a resident of California, I rarely see political ads. Trust me, Trump isn't wasting his money here, he knows that the people here bleed straight blue. Similarly, Hillary isn't spending a whole lot of time in the South, because her minutes and dollars are better used elsewhere.
That's where these swing states come into play. As a resident of one of the eleven states listed above, you are a prime target for Hillary and Trump's ads. They want to target you, because to them, your vote really matters. They'll make trips to your state, they'll be calling your home, they'll be plastered all over your television. This is because their next four years, whether they will be spending them in the white house or not, genuinely depend on the way that your state swings.
It's just intelligent campaigning. The candidates should, and do, spend the most of their time and effort targeting those states that will truly make or break their chance at presidency. By the beginning of November, however, swing-staters will be crying, begging their television to please just make it stop.
My family is from Iowa. They recently told me that at this point in election season, they are receiving calls daily to urge them to vote for one party or another. Nearly every other ad that is played on television is for one of the presidential candidates. And Iowa only has 6 electoral votes, as compared to other swing states such as Florida, which has 29. While every single vote is important, these votes in these particular states are the votes that truly will make a difference in the 2016 Presidential Election.
Regardless of where you live and regardless of what party you are leaning towards, it is always important to vote. Find out what you need to do to register in your state. And then, instead of sighing of annoyance like I have been doing, be grateful for the wealth of information you have available to you, wherever you live. Do your research. Do your duty as an american citizen. Vote in the 2016 Elections.
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