What are the swing states? See polling in 2024 battlegrounds as race clock winds down

The eyes of the nation are ready to be fixed on the seven swing states that could decide the 2024 presidential election as the race reaches its final hours.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have barnstormed the states, making their final pitches to crucial voters that could put them in the White House.

Recent polling across Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona shows tight races across the election's battlegrounds.

One unexpected potential swing state revealed itself Saturday when an Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Harris ahead of Trump in Iowa by three points, though the result is within the survey's margin of error. The state had been considered a safe state for Trump ahead of the poll.

Here's what you need to know about the swing states as Election Day arrives.

Swing state polls, past election results

Here are some recent polls taken in the battleground states, with the dates they were conducted, sample size and their margin of error as well as the last two election results in each state.

Arizona

• New York Times/Siena College: Trump 49%, Harris 45% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,025 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Trump: 50%, Harris 48% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 900 likely voters; margin of error ±3.2 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Clinton 49% to 45.5%

• 2020 presidential election results: Biden beat Trump 49.4% to 49.1%

Georgia

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 48%, Trump 47% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,004 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Trump: 50%, Harris 49% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 800 likely voters; margin of error ±3.4 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Hillary Clinton 51% to 45.9%

• 2020 presidential election results: Joe Biden beat Trump 49.5% to 49.3%

Michigan

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 47%, Trump 47% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 998 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Harris 50%, Trump 48% ( Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 790 likely voters; margin of error ±3.4 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Clinton 47.6% to 47.4%

• 2020 presidential election results: Biden beat Trump 50.6% to 47.8%

Nevada

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 49%, Trump 46% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,010 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Harris 48%, Trump 48% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 790 likely voters; margin of error ±3.3 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Clinton beat Trump 47.9% to 45.5%

• 2020 presidential election results: Biden beat Trump 50.1% to 47.7%

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North Carolina

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 48%, Trump 46% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,010 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Trump 49%, Harris 48% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 860 likely voters; margin of error ±3.3 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Clinton 50.5% to 46.8%

• 2020 presidential election results: Trump beat Biden 50.1% to 48.7%

Pennsylvania

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 48%, Trump 48% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,527 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Trump: 49%, Harris 48% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 1,000 likely voters; margin of error ±3 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Clinton 48.6% to 47.9%

• 2020 presidential election results: Biden beat Trump 50% to 48.8%

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Wisconsin

• New York Times/Siena College: Harris 49%, Trump 47% (Oct. 24-Nov. 2; 1,305 likely voters; margin of error ±3.5 percentage points)

• Emerson College/The Hill: Harris 49%, Trump 49% (Oct. 30-Nov. 2; 800 likely voters; margin of error ±3.4 percentage points)

Past election results:

• 2016 presidential election results: Trump beat Clinton 47.8% to 47%

• 2020 presidential election results: Biden beat Trump 49.6% to 48.9%

Things to keep in mind about polling

The margin of error describes how accurately we can count on the survey results being representative of the entire population.

When a candidate's lead is "inside" the margin of error, it is considered a "statistical tie," according to Pew Research Center.

Pew has also found the majority of pollsters have changed their methods since the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, where Trump's performance was significantly underestimated.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What are the swing states? See polling, past results from 7 key states