Pueblo, Colo., home to famous chilies, a steel mill and strong union ties, is working to diversify its economy.

In Charlotte, N.C., NASCAR has taken a back seat to financial services as the population booms with immigrants and Northeastern transplants.

Wisconsin is deeply purple and up for grabs — and eyes are on its large cities like Milwaukee this election.

Many of America’s communities are changing, and so is how voters decide what matters most to them and whom they want their leaders to be.

Other areas are growing more deeply rooted in their own values. In Pensacola, Fla., which WUWF’s Tom Ninestine describes as having a “heart as big as their love of Old Glory and the military,” residents steadily deliver Republicans solid support and will likely do the same this year.

NPR and our member stations will listen to where you are this election. Our hosts and reporters are crossing the country and diving deep into your — and our — communities to listen to the issues that keep you up at night and learn how they are shaping your choices this election.

We are focusing on some key places that hold significance this election cycle (of course there are many more!), which we introduce you to below.

Join us all year at NPR.org, across our broadcast programs, on our podcasts and Instagram to see and hear where voters are.

The 8 Key Places That Will Explain The 2020 Election

Image: Eric Baradat/AFP, Kevin J. Beaty for NPR and Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
Caption: Milwaukee (left), Pueblo, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C., are three of the eight places NPR and member stations will be focusing on leading up to the election.