US-ELECTION-2012 NECK AND-NECK CONTEST

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,6^th 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