Bill Donovan knows every vote matters in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

That’s why the 78-year-old Democrat traveled from college to college across Pittsburgh, approaching students in coffee shops and on sidewalks to make sure they registered to vote.

Mr. Donovan plans to support Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and is a volunteer with a nonprofit voter registration group aimed at increasing Democratic turnout in the state.

With 19 electoral votes – the most electoral votes of any swing state – Pennsylvania has become the must-win this election, putting the spotlight on ordinary voters.

Mr Donovan said they should take advantage of this.

“A lot of people say this is where the decision will be made… and I think they might be right,” he told the BBC. “That gives us a little more incentive to keep going when we feel like going home.”

How the vote in Pennsylvania is often seen as a predictor of who will win the country: The candidate who won the state in 10 of the last 12 presidential elections ended up in the White House.

The state has a history of close races. Former President Donald Trump captured Pennsylvania in 2016. Four years later, President Joe Biden narrowly won. And with just a few days to go until Election Day, polls show a dead heat between Harris and Trump.

The power that comes with casting a ballot in Pennsylvania is exactly why Dimitri Chernozhukov, a 21-year-old college student at Lafayette College in the city of Easton, chose to attend college in the state.

“My vote matters here,” the soon-to-be two-time Trump voter said. “When I registered in Pennsylvania, I made sure all the forms were correct because this vote matters.”

The state has been inundated with campaign stops by both Harris and Trump, who along with their running mates have made a total of more than 50 appearances in the state since mid-July.

Kari Holmes, a pastor in eastern Pennsylvania, sees the spotlight on her state and feels the weight of being one of the coveted electors. She has worked with other religious leaders to encourage voters of color – a highly sought-after demographic – to cast their ballots.

“Now is the moment to feel the gravity of our voice as voters of color in this very important commonwealth,” said Ms. Holmes, who plans to vote for Harris.

With some nine million registered voters in Pennsylvania, turnout is essential to the success of both campaigns in November.

Registration figures show a nearly 50-50 political split, with about 3.9 million registered Democrats and 3.6 million registered Republicans. There are also about 1.4 million independent or third-party registered voters, whom both campaigns have courted.

Marc Pane, owner of an auto repair business in the city of Scranton, is among the millions of registered Republicans eager to vote for Trump in November.

“It could come down to Pennsylvania,” Pane said. “We can make or break the elections. It’s important. Our voice is more important than ever and I am very happy that it is us.”

In Pennsylvania, Democrats are mainly clustered along the eastern and western borders in urban areas such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The middle of the state, which is rural, leans heavily Republican.

Two counties in particular — Erie in western Pennsylvania and Northampton in eastern Pennsylvania — are considered key counties, meaning they often follow the trend of how the entire country votes. Both counties favored Trump in 2016, but chose Biden in 2020.

“They have the balance of urban, rural and suburban and it’s really a place to watch on election night to see what’s happening,” Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania, told the BBC .

Lori McFarland, chair of the Lehigh County Democrats, spends her days making sure Pennsylvanians in Lehigh County, which borders Northampton County, support Harris. She is not so sure that all voters understand the gravity of their decision on November 5.

“It’s a challenge to not get too excited, stay calm, stay focused and know what the task is,” Ms. McFarland said. “There is pressure because both the campaigns and the world are looking not only at Lehigh and Northampton counties, but also at Erie County.”

“We are the three big provinces that feel like it’s falling on us, it’s overwhelming,” she told the BBC.

The focus on courting voters in the crucial swing state is leading to an influx of political ads.

According to a recent AdImpact report, the Harris campaign spent $159.1 million (£122.6 million) on advertising in Pennsylvania between July 22 and October 8. The Trump campaign spent $120.2 million (£92.4 million) in the same period.

Andy Jones, who is voting for Trump in Allegheny County, said television and radio advertisements, billboards and yard signs in western Pennsylvania have “gone out of control.” He describes it as a battle between his neighbors to see who can outdo the other in their yard.

“People here are clearly excited,” he said. “It’s an important state.”