 A polling worker laughs after U.S. President Barack Obama mimicked the way she checked the photo on his driver's license, as he voted early at the Martin Luther King Community Center in Chicago(KEVIN LAMARQUE, REUTERS / October 25, 2012) |
CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama cast his ballot for the November 6 election on Thursday in his hometown of Chicago and encouraged others who could vote before Election Day to follow his example.
Obama, who was a U.S. senator from Illinois and had before becoming president, went to an early-voting facility to show his driver's license before making his pick for president.
"I'm just glad I renewed my driver's license," the president said after a poll worker asked to see his photo ID. When he handed it over, she studied it closely.
"For all of you who have not yet voted early, I just want everybody to see what an incredibly efficient process this was," he said to journalists afterward.
It was the first time a U.S. president had cast his vote early. Scenes of presidential candidates and their spouses voting on Election Day are typically a ritual that ends a long campaign season.
First lady Michelle Obama has already cast her vote. The president has said, with mock relief, that she voted for him.
Both Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney are stressing early voting more than ever, encouraging their backers to take advantage of opportunities in many states as a means of increasing turnout.
But Obama's team says statistics show he is benefiting the most from early turnout.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the campaign's early-voting margins were ahead of where they were in 2008 and beating Romney. The president was winning the early vote in the battleground states of Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, and had a 15- to 35-point lead among those who have already cast their votes.
"This is a major part of our on-the-ground program and focus, and we hope that having the president do this today will send a message to people across the country, in states where early vote is an option, that this is something they should do, too," Psaki told reporters on Air Force One.
"He has a busy life; many American people have busy lives - picking up their kids, taking their kids to soccer, working double shifts. And this is a great option to participate in the process," she added.
Obama's stop in Illinois - which he is expected to win easily - was part of a two-day, eight-state marathon campaign trip that included Iowa, Colorado, California, Nevada, Florida, Virginia and Ohio. The president encouraged people at rallies throughout the trip to vote early if they could.
(Editing by Alistair Bell and Philip Barbara)
Comments
If anyone here thinks Obama's funding of the now 15 or 16 defunct green energy factories was about promoting alternative energy, rather than party spoils, and looting the US Treasury for personal gain... I have some ocean front property for sale in Arizona I would like to sell you.
Billions if not trillions have been diverted from the US Treasury to Obama supporters... and Congress remains silent. Why? Who got paid to be silent? Corruption is rampant and pervasive in government.
Just wondering??? Did obummer vote early in all the states he went to on his marathon campaign?
He showed ID huh?, I thought he made it clear that requiring any form of ID is racist and prevents the lower class from being able to particpate in the elections, I know here in Washington State the give ID cards to anyone who needs one regardless of reasn why,
I was sitting here listening to Oblabber brag and I noticed he likes to us the words "I", "me" as in he and he alone has done everything single handed and there was no one else involved, like it was Obama himself who repelled off that helicotper in the dark of night, stormed the compound, with M16 in hand, a few flash bangs, up the stairs, made that positive ID and took out Bun Laden, the carrried him out, verified the DNA and packaged him up for his quick at sea deep sixing,
Or like right now there is a lady on Fox saying Obama has a plan to create 1 million jobs, put teachers back to work, re-open the cloased factories and boost the economy with a mere 1.4 trillion more dollars, you know more stimulus spending we do not have, on top of the fact yet anouther factory we the tax payer have given money to, a "green enegy" company backed by nutless has filed for bankruptsy, that maked what 14 or 15 green energy companies this puke has wasted our money onwith no return, lets add the company that is suppose to be making batteries for the Volt, that its employees are told to play vidoe games or relax
How bout, while this inept, arrogant, self centered, up tight, hate filled pile of shit is in Chicago, we take AF1 bring it back to Edwards, sterilize it, pack it up and leave in a hanger so the puke cannot waste one more tax payer dollar flying all over, the useless prick has had it in the air what every day for the past 2 years
Philip, your are spot on. The democRAT policy has always been vote early and vote often. Early voting just makes it easier for them to do it. We need to get rid of early voting or the democRATS. My first choice would be to get rid of the democRATS
Early voting ALLOWS the liberal progressive more days for more fraudulent voters to cast illegal ballots. When all the cheating had to be done in one day, election day, it was a logistical nightmare and not very effective. NOW however in some states the democrats have almost 3 weeks to cheat.
The ID can not be legit. Everything about obummer is illegal.
For years I questioned this early voting; vote now so you cannot change your mind later when you begin to here bad news coming out about your candidate. Those who voted early for Obama are now realizing that he lied to the American people, but they cannot take their votes back. I say wait until 3 days prior to November 6th, then vote because they’re more lies and deceitful events on the horizon.
He makes me sick...Mr. All Smiles. I am ashamed of him...he says the B.S****** word right out in public where kids are and then he allows a video to be made for an ad that uses a girl to say sexual wording to say she voted for Obama because he "cares" about women??? I find this campaign ad offensive and I am disgusted with him...I want a pres. I can look up to and be proud of not a cursing, arrogant one that thinks he's "cute" and can get away with anything..He brings down the office he represents. TIME FOR HIM TO GO