What does the election term battleground mean?

Answer 1

A "swing state" is one that the polls cannot definitely identify as supporting either the republican or demoratic candidate, and when the votes are counted in the real presidential election, could show that they really support either Republican or Democratic candidate.

Answer 2

A "battleground state" is a state whose electoral votes are still up for grabs because early polls cannot detect a probable winner in that state's election. Since a battleground state can still be won by either candidate, it becomes a battleground for the competing candidates and their candidacies as they fight it out toe to toe to win that state's popular vote. Example, Arizona is not a battleground state, because it is McCain's home state and it will vote for McCain. Same for Illinois and Obama.

Answer 3

Battleground or swing states in the U. S. are states in which the number of voters from each of the major political parties is about equal. Since 100% of the electoral votes of almost every state goes to the candidates with the most popular votes in the state, special attention is given to those states in the campaign process. Traditionally they have been states that have about equal number of northerners and southerners, like Ohio and Florida. New Mexico is now also a swing state.