US-ELECTION-2012
NECK AND-NECK CONTEST
Tens
of millions of Americans are voting to decide whether to re-elect Democratic
President Barack Obama or hand the job to Republican Mitt Romney.Polling opened first in
eastern states and a winner could be known by midnight. Turnout will be
crucial.The voting ends a hard-fought race that began nearly two years ago and
has cost more than $2bn (£1.3bn).Polls show the race is neck and neck, although
the president holds a slender polling lead in crucial swing states.
National
polls by Washington Post/ABC News and the Pew Research Centre both give Mr
Obama a three-point edge over his rival.More than 30 million voters had already
cast their ballots before Tuesday's polls opened, with more than 30 states
allowing either absentee voting or in-person early voting. In the 2008
presidential election, more than 130 million people voted.On the stroke of
midnight, the first election day votes were cast and quickly counted in the
tiny village of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire. They resulted in a tie with five
votes each for Mr Obama and Mr Romney.Polling stations will begin closing in
eastern states at 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT).
Mr
Obama has already voted in his adopted home city of Chicago, becoming the first
sitting president ever to vote early.Mr Romney and his wife Ann cast their
ballots in Belmont, Massachusetts, shortly before 09:00 local time. He told
reporters he felt "very good"."If you believe we can do better,
if you believe America should be on a better course, if you're tired of being
tired... then I ask you to vote for real change," Mr Romney told a rally
in a Virginia suburb of the capital, Washington DC.The president appeared at
rallies with singer Bruce Springsteen and rapper Jay-Z. He acknowledged
frustration with the still-lagging economy but told voters "our work is
not done yet"."We've come too far to turn back now," the
president said in Ohio. "We've come too far to let our hearts grow
faint... We'll finish what we started. We'll renew those ties that bind us
together and reaffirm the spirit that makes the United States of America the
greatest nation on Earth."
With
voter turnout seen as vital for both candidates, campaigning continued on
Tuesday,6th November,2012.Both men gave radio interviews, and Mr
Romney was due to hit the campaign trail again with events in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio, before holding an election night rally in
Boston.Mr Obama will hold his own election night rally at a convention centre
in Chicago.With observers anticipating a close race, both sides have readied
teams of lawyers for possible legal fights, especially in the critical
battleground state of Ohio.Some analysts fear the election will not be decided
on Tuesday night if the state's vote becomes mired in legal battles.
Prof. John Kurakar
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