Where is the competition in 2024? Here are the places to watch in next year's race for the White House

A handful of swing counties in the country’s top swing states could play a crucial role in deciding next year’s election.

These battleground areas, where Democratic and Republican candidates each stand a competitive chance, represent some of the nation’s most divided neighborhoods and shifting political moods.

Winning these counties, and in turn the states they live in, could make or break one White House hopeful’s bid next November.

Here’s what to know about five of the counties that could have America waiting up on election night.

1. Maricopa County, Arizona

Encompassing Arizona’s capital, Phoenix, Maricopa County may take some time to call next November.

Once a reliably Republican region, Arizona has become a key swing state in recent years and Maricopa sits at the center of this battleground.

In former President Donald Trump’s first campaign, the Republican front-runner carried the state 48% to 45%, and Maricopa County by the same measure. Four years later, though, President Joe Biden won the state overall by less than a point and Maricopa by 2 percentage points.

Maricopa County may also sound familiar as the site of ongoing election controversy following the 2020 election. Trump and his allies claimed there was election fraud in the county, allegations that were inflamed by a controversial Arizona Senate audit.

Maricopa officials have rebutted these claims, and there has not been evidence found of widespread election fraud in the county.

2. Erie County, Pennsylvania

Located in the northwestern tip of Pennsylvania, Erie County has swung back and forth for Democrats and Republicans in recent elections, leaving the question of who voters there will go for in 2024.

Four years after former President Barack Obama won the county with a commanding lead, Trump secured a victory in the state in 2016 by less than a point and in the blue-collar county by 2 points.

Erie County flipped yet again, though, in 2020, going for Biden 50% to 49%.

As many expect a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, Americans may have to stay up for the outcome in Erie next election night.

3. Kent County, Michigan

Kent County, in western Michigan, was once a Republican stronghold in a key swing state with a blue edge. Now, the area is yet another to go back and forth between parties, specifically changing their minds on Trump.

Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 3 points in Kent County in 2016 but lost the county – and the state – to Biden by a wider margin in 2020.

More from Michigan: New Trump recording shows he pressured Michigan election officials not to certify 2020 election results

4. Miami-Dade County, Florida

Although Florida has appeared to shift lately from a swing state to more reliably Republican, the Sunshine state still has its competitive pockets, including Miami-Dade County in the south.

The state’s largest county has a substantial Democratic population and went for Hillary Clinton by 30 points in 2016.

The county also went for Biden in 2020, albeit by about 7 percentage points. Two years later, Florida Gov. and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis won Miami-Dade by 11 points in his bid for reelection.

DeSantis has spearheaded Florida’s recent red turn, and though his White House bid has struggled to gain traction against Trump, the party favorite, the governor’s momentum could make Miami-Dade a battleground to watch next year.

5. Dane County, Wisconsin

One of the country's most politically competitive states, Wisconsin will be an important battleground for candidates in 2024. Within that, Dane County could be an epicenter of the state’s competition.

Located in southern Wisconsin and including the city of Madison, Dane County is a Democratic stronghold. Hillary Clinton carried the county by almost 50 points in 2016, and Biden grew on that lead in 2020, defeating Trump 76% to 23% in Dane County.

While Wisconsin as a whole sits up for grabs by either party’s candidate, this area of the state will be one to watch with its potential to tip the scale in Democrats’ favor next November.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 presidential election: These are the places to watch next year