U.S. President Barack Obama took advantage of early voting at a polling place in his hometown of Chicago, becoming the first U.S. president to vote early in an election.
Obama’s voting is part of his campaign encouraging early voting, in many states where special polling places have been opened for this purpose. It is estimated that 7.2 million Americans have already voted early, and that about 35 percent of the electorate will take advantage of this option by election day.
His Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, is campaigning in Ohio, one of a dozen states with uncertain election outcomes that could hold the key to the White House. Twelve days before the election, a new national poll showed that Romney has 50 percent support among likely voters, compared to Obama’s 47 percent.
The survey, conducted for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, revealed that on the question of which candidate instills more confidence in managing the economy, Romney has 52 percent support, compared to 43 percent for Obama, marking the first time that a challenger has such a convincing lead on this key issue for voters.
