8 electoral states to watch

Perhaps best known for bringing the term “hanging chad” into the national lexicon, the Sunshine State carried George W. Bush to victory in 2000 by a razor-thin margin of 537 votes following a lengthy statewide recount. The state has been an electoral prize ever since, and although President Obama cached Florida’s 29 electoral votes in 2008, recent polling has former Gov. Romney up by about 1%. Polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern

What’s round on the sides, “hi” in the middle, and probably the biggest battleground of all in 2012? Ohio. Obama carried the state in 2008, and holds a narrow 2% lead going into election day, according to polling averages. A factoid surely not lost on Gov. Romney: No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, making the state’s 18 electoral votes all the more precious. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. Eastern