iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BIHousing shortages and affordability problems are especially acute in America's swing states.Arizona's population is surging and Pennsylvania's is shrinking; neither can build enough homes.They each represent different reasons the US has failed to meet the demand for housing.Rising home prices and rents are weighing on voters' minds this election season.Renters and homeowners in the handful of swing states that will likely determine the US presidential election — which include Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Nevada — have been disproportionately hit by rising housing costs, caused by decades of underbuilding, a surge in new residents, high construction costs, and red tape.Since 2017, "in 6 of the 7 states, home prices have risen faster than the national average, and the national average is already quite high," Alex Horowitz, director of Pew's Housing Policy Project, told Business Insider, citing data from Zillow and Apartment List.