Here's who's on ballots in the 7 states likely to decide the presidential election

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Here's who's on ballots in the 7 states likely to decide the presidential election

By Benjamin Swasey,

Ashley Lopez

Published September 25, 2024 at 9:51 AM EDT

The Libertarian Party's Chase Oliver, seen here in 2022, appears on presidential ballots in seven key states.

Updated September 27, 2024 at 18:18 PM ET

With polls showing the presidential election a toss up, the votes that third-party and independent candidates receive in key states could very well decide the White House.

Those vote shares could be in an election likely to be decided on the margins.

People linked to the major parties know this, which is why they've spent recent months trying to they believe could hurt the opposing major party, while trying to they think could hurt their own party's prospects.

It's also why Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after ditching his independent presidential bid and endorsing Donald Trump, .

Despite his efforts, RFK remains on ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin.

This year鈥檚 presidential election is also an example of how , compared with independent candidates or minor political parties. Both the Libertarian and Green parties have their candidates on ballots in several swing states.

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Benjamin Swasey

Ben Swasey is a deputy editor on the Washington Desk, covering politics and voting.

See stories by Benjamin Swasey

Ashley Lopez

Ashley Lopez is a political correspondent for NPR based in Austin, Texas. She joined NPR in May 2022. Prior to NPR, Lopez spent more than six years as a health care and politics reporter for KUT, Austin's public radio station. Before that, she was a political reporter for NPR Member stations in Florida and Kentucky. Lopez is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and grew up in Miami, Florida.