Election Day Weather Could Cause Problems in 3 Swing States

Poor weather could deter voters from visiting some polls on Election Day next week, according to early forecasts.
Voters in the seven swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are likely to decide who wins the White House. Recent polls show an extremely tight race between Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Poor weather in northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin and northern Arizona, however, could affect voter turnout on November 5.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist and long-range expert Paul Pastelok told Newsweek that early forecasts indicate the northern parts of those states could see snow and rain, possibly disrupting voters’ plans for the day. He also stressed that it’s still early and that the forecasts could change before Election Day.
Mountain snow could impact some polling sites in northern Arizona, Pastelok said, and deter voters from lining up at the polls. Possible snow also is in the forecast for northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“There’s an area of low pressure coming up through there, and timing is the issue,” he said.
If the system moves faster than expected, it could deliver steady rain and even snow into northern Michigan early in the day.
“Cold and snow are the biggest weather headaches,” Pastelok said. “It keeps older people from voting. People get done at work and want to go home.”
In 2020, President Joe Biden won each of the swing states that may experience poor weather next week, though much of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula voted for Trump.
As for the remaining four swing states, Pastelok said, rain is likely to hold off until after polls have closed in Georgia; North Carolina looks warm and dry; some parts of Pennsylvania might see rain showers in the evening hours; and Nevada will likely have near-average temperatures, with some precipitation possible along the western edge of the state.
Many voters have already cast their ballots via mail-in and early voting. In Michigan, more than 1.7 million voters have already decided, according to NBC News. More than 850,000 people have voted early in Wisconsin, and more than 1.2 million in Arizona.
At the moment, polls show Harris edging Trump, 48 percent to 46.7 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight. The vice president also holds a small lead over Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the pollster.