Barack Obama Casts Vote Early In Chicago

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has cast his vote in his hometown of Chicago as his campaign seeks to boost early ballots in a neck-and-neck election race. Mr Obama, who is on a two-day campaign marathon across eight states, is the first president to vote early.

His Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, is in Ohio, a swing state which could hold the key to the White House. Thirteen days from the election, a new national poll says Mr Romney has 50%-47% support among likely voters.

The survey, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that when asked about which candidate they would trust more to handle the economy, 52% backed Mr Romney versus 43% for Mr Obama - the first time a candidate has held a clear lead on the issue.

The president’s ballot casting on Thursday was part of his campaign’s wider effort to encourage early voting, with many states holding open in-person polls this week.

First Lady Michelle Obama voted by absentee ballot on October 15.

It is estimated that 7.2 million people have already cast early ballots, and that about 35% of the electorate will have already voted by polling day.

The Obama campaign also announced on Thursday that it backs gay marriage laws in three states that are holding referendums on the issue in November.

In Maryland and Washington, ballot measures are seeking to overturn gay marriage bills that were signed into law earlier this year. Meanwhile, Maine is voting on whether to reinstate a gay marriage law that was overturned in a popular vote in 2009.

Mr Obama first voiced support for the right of same-sex couples to marry in May.

Because the US election is a state-by-state contest, a presidential candidate must win key battlegrounds like Ohio, Virginia and Florida, which do not reliably vote for either party. No Republican has ever won the White House without taking Ohio.

The Obama campaign recently won a court ruling to keep Ohio’s early voting open through the weekend before the election.