The combination of demographics, electoral votes and the industries these states represent are what makes them so essential to a campaign victory. Unpredictable Voting Pattern Voting results in battleground states are difficult to predict. Michigan, considered a key state and by some estimates the most important state to watch, has a voting population that closely reflects the demographics of the United States as a whole. Additionally, Michigan has voted for the winning candidate in eight of the past 10 elections, missing only in 1968 and 1976. Michigan is also a state that votes on both sides of the aisle.
Voters tend to be liberal on economic issues while leaning to the right on social issues.
For example, the governor of the state, John Engler, is a conservative Republican. A common denominator among battleground states is a strong labor presence. These are largely industrial states where labor unions play an active role in party politics. In fact, for union workers in many states, Election Day is a paid holiday allowing for maximum voter turnout. Despite historical trends that suggest that a strong union presence favors the Democratic candidate, recent polls in these toss-up states indicate that voters also are concerned by a sense of moral decay in the country.