Swing State Scorecard

Swing State Scorecard

This is cool!  Check out this interactive swing state chart from NPR.

There are 538 Electoral College votes.  A candidate needs 270 to win.  

• An NPR analysis using history and polls indicates how 42 states and the District of Columbia are expected to vote. That leaves only eight "tossups" where the race is too close to call, but where the election will likely be decided.

• NPR puts 21 states and their 237 electoral votes firmly or leaning to President Obama. Republican Mitt Romney starts with 27 states and 206 assumed electoral votes. (See the full list.) We've prefilled those projections below, leaving 95 electoral votes up for grabs.

• Click a tossup state under a candidate’s name to see what it means for his chances of winning. The candidate who secures 270 electoral votes becomes president. (Last updated on Oct. 23, 2012.)