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US polls deadlocked; Obama, Romney await verdict
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney face the verdict of US voters today after a long and bitter campaign, with polls showing them deadlocked in a race that will be decided in a handful of states where it is extraordinarily close.Ways the US election could all go wrong | Gaffes and Zingers: A recap of US campaign
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney face the verdict of US voters on Tuesday after a long and bitter White House campaign, with polls showing them deadlocked in a race that will be decided in a handful of states where it is extraordinarily close.
At least 120 million Americans are expected to vote on giving Obama a second term or replacing him with Romney.
Their decision will set the country's course for four years on spending, taxes, healthcare and foreign policy challenges like the rise of China and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
National opinion polls show Obama and Romney in a virtual dead heat, although the Democratic incumbent has a slight advantage in several vital swing states - most notably Ohio - that could give him the 270 electoral votes he needs to win.
Romney, the multimillionaire former head of a private equity fund, would be the first Mormon president and one of the wealthiest Americans to occupy the White House. Know more about Mitt Romney
Obama, the first black president, is vying to be the first Democrat to win a second term since Bill Clinton in 1996. Barack Obama: up close and personal
Fueled by record spending on negative ads, the battle between the two men was focused primarily on the lagging economic recovery and persistent high unemployment, but at times it turned personal.
Polls will begin to close in Indiana and Kentucky at 6pm EST (2300 GMT) on Tuesday, with voting ending across the country over the next six hours.
The first results, by tradition, were tallied in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, New Hampshire, shortly after midnight (0500 GMT). Obama and Romney each received five votes in Dixville Notch.
