LIVE: Race to the White House 2012

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney remained in a tie in the polls released just days before the election.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann talk after filling out their ballots in Belmont, Massachusetts. Picture: Justin Sullivan Source: AFP

US President Barack Obama speaks at his last campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

AFTER a final cross-country campaign whirl by both candidates, President Barack Obama heads into Election Day riding a slim lead in enough key states to secure a second term, while Mitt Romney remains competitive and could yet unseat him.

National polling showed late voter movement toward Mr Obama, raising the possibility that the election might not drag out for days and weeks of wrangling over disputed ballots, as some feared.

The president continued to maintain a slight edge in the vast majority of swing-state opinion polls, though his advantage typically remained within the surveys' margins of error.

2.42am: New Yorkers are taking special election shuttles from areas hit by Superstorm Sandy and voting by affidavit from any polling place they could reach after officials put emergency measures in place, AFP reports.

Early turnout at dawn appeared high, despite the hurdles.

"No matter what happens - hurricanes, tornados - it's our day to vote," said Agim Coma, a 25-year-old construction worker who lost his apartment and car to the storm but was first in line to vote in one New Jersey town.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg helps a poll worker find his name in the registry before he votes in a school on New York's Upper East Side, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Monday allowing residents to cast a so-called affidavit, or provisional ballot, at any polling place in the state for president and statewide office holders. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Source: AP

2.37am: US President Barack Obama made calls to thank Wisconsin campaign volunteers and congratulated rival Mitt Romney "on a spirited campaign", AP reports.

Mr Obama says he's "confident we've got the votes to win" but says he knows Romney supporters are "just as engaged, just as enthusiastic."

Mr Obama stopped by a campaign field office near his Chicago home.

He was greeted by thunderous applause by about two dozen volunteers, many with tears streaming down their face.
During one call, he told a woman: "Hopefully we'll have a good day." And he told her to "keep working hard all the way through."

US President Barack Obama calls volunteers from a campaign office near his home on the South Side of Chicago. "Hopefully we'll have a good day," he told supporters. Source: AFP

2.23am: Google is getting in on the action with an election themed doodle.

The search engine's artwork today shows red-and-blue ballots spelling out "Google" before vanishing into a star-spangled ballot box.

People fill out paper ballots while voting at Halloran Skating Rink in Cleveland, Ohio. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

2.16am: US President Barack Obama has stopped by a campaign field office in Chicago to encourage get-out-the-vote efforts, CBS News has reported.

2.12am: Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan has cast his vote in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, CNN reports.

Mr Ryan is set to fly to campaign events in Cleveland, in key swing state of Ohio, and then on to Virginia.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan casts his ballot as his wife Janna, son Charlie, left and daughter Liza watch at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Source: AP

1.55am: Puerto Ricans are facing a fundamental question on their ballots today: Should they change their ties with the United States?

Election Day is a holiday in the US island territory and the streets are quiet except around polling stations. The US island territory does not get a vote in the US presidential election.

But many are excited for a chance to vote in a referendum that asks voters if they want to change the relationship to the United States. A second question gives voters three alternatives: become the 51st US state, independence, or "sovereign free association", a designation that would give more autonomy for the territory of 4 million people.

A man waits to vote in Portage, Ohio. Voting is underway in the battleground state of Ohio. Source: Getty Images

1.44am: US stocks headed higher in opening trade as the country went to the polls.

With Wall Street more behind the president's challenger Mitt Romney, who supports low investment-related taxes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 44.00 points (0.34 per cent) at 13,156.44 after five minutes of trade.

The broad-based S&P 500 added 3.29 points (0.23 per cent) to 1420.55, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.68 points (0.09 per cent) to 3002.34.

Election workers help a voter, right, finalise his affidavit ballot at a consolidated polling station for residents of the Rockaways in the Queens borough of New York. Picture: Jason DeCrow Source: AFP

1.30am: Nate Silver, the statistics guru at The New York Times, now has the probability of Barack Obama winning the election at 91.6 per cent. You can see his breakdown of the numbers here.

1.14am: Bruce Springsteen may be campaigning for Barack Obama but that has not affected New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's love for The Boss. In fact, Mr Christie, a Republican, has revealed that a hug from Springsteen last week made him cry. Read more at The Washington Post.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann talk after filling out their ballots in Belmont, Massachusetts. Picture: Justin Sullivan Source: AFP

1.01am: Mitt Romney has cast his ballot in the presidential election.

After all the flights, all the speeches, the debates, hand-shakes, nods, gestures and smiles, it was time for him to vote and then hold curtain-closing campaign rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Then, he had to contemplate the fall of night and the counting of votes, and hope for the best.

His wife, Ann, was at his side when the pair cast their ballots near their Belmont, Massachusetts. home a little before 9am local time (1am AEDT). The Republican presidential candidate will return to Boston later for an Election Day reception at the Boston Convention Centre.

Asked who he voted for, Mr Romney replied, "I think you know.

Voters lined up to cast their vote at the Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts. Picture: Timothy A. Clary Source: AFP

12.43am: Not everyone can make it to a polling station, and that includes astronauts. According to Live Science, the Americans on the International Space Station are sent electronic voting forms and then beam them back to Mission Control.

Leslie Fabian reacts after successfully voting electronically on Election Day at the 24-hour Su Nueva Laundromat in Chicago. Picture: Charles Rex Arbogast Source: AP

12.20am: If you want to know who's going to win before everyone else, here is the hot tip from Mike Allen at Politico - keep a close eye on Prince William and Loudoun counties in Virginia. "Obama won both counties in 2008. Romney ... has to take back territory like that if he's going to win. If they split, he's in trouble. And if he loses Virginia, there's no point worrying about Ohio. Tell me who won Prince William and Loudoun, and I'll tell you whether we have President 45 or President 44, Part II."

Vice President Joe Biden exits a voting booth after casting his ballot at Alexis I. duPont High School in Greenville, Delaware: Picture: Matt Rourke Source: AP

12.12am: Vice President Joe Biden has cast his vote in the 2012 election in Delaware, saying "it's always a kick".

President Barack Obama's running mate says it was the eighth time he's run for election statewide. Asked if he thought it was the last time he'd vote for himself, he told reporters, "No, I don't think so."

Mr Biden arrived with his wife, Jill, at Alexis I. DuPont High School in Greenville, Delaware, shortly after the polls opened and waited about 13 minutes. Also accompanying the vice president were his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden; Beau's wife, Hallie; and their 8-year-old daughter, Natalie.

Mr Biden shook hands with and hugged other voters as he waited. He urged Americans to vote "even if you have to stand in line."

Snow surrounds the polling precinct in Terra Alta, West Virginia, as Peter Hough heads to work after casting his ballot. Picture: Dave Martin Source: AP

11.50pm: New Jersey voters have formed impatient lines amid rubble and rotting rubbish left by superstorm Sandy as election officials scrambled to be ready for the US presidential vote.

At Hoboken, one of the towns worst-hit by superstorm Sandy, one of the makeshift polling stations opened 40 minutes late at 6.40am. There were 60 people in the sharp morning chill surrounded by the debris.

"This is unacceptable, we have been here since six," said Adora Agim, 38, a software engineer in the queue.

"Yesterday when I called the town clerk, they told me to go to my normal polling place." She went to the designated school in the town and found a sign on the door saying it had moved to a community centrd for seniors. The flood damage was too great.

After the makeshift station opened, a volunteer came out and told the grumbling crowd: "Please excuse the appearance of this place, two days ago it was under two feet of water."

11.42pm: President Barack Obama has made a dozen radio and satellite TV interviews from his hometown of Chicago to keep his closing arguments fresh in voters' minds.

"I feel optimistic but only cautiously optimistic," Mr Obama said on The Steve Harvey Morning Show.

''Because until people actually show up at the polls and cast their ballot, the rest of this stuff is all just speculation."

Bob Auletta makes his way into a polling place at Toms River East High School in Toms River, New Jersey, to vote on Election Day. Picture: Mel Evans Source: AP

11.39pm: Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, were among the first voters in at a polling place in Greenville, Delaware, Mr Biden's home state. Smiling broadly, Mr Biden waited in line with the other voters and greeted them with a handshake.

11.26pm: Bob Dylan says he thinks President Barack Obama is going to win a landslide. Dylan made the prediction midway through the song Blowin' in the Wind during a concert in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

Dylan made his comments during his encore when he said, "We tried to play good tonight since the president was here today."

He went on to say he thinks Mr Obama will prevail.

Dylan says, "Don't believe the media. I think it's going to be a landslide."

Bob Dylan says President Barack Obama, seen here awarding Dylan the Medal of Freedom, will win in 'a landslide.' Picture: AP Source: AP

Some of polling day's first voters brave a chilly Virginia dawn to cast their votes. Picture: Mark Wilson/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

11.15pm: Authorities in New York and New Jersey were set to drive some displaced voters to their polling sites and direct others to cast ballots elsewhere as residents insisted the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy wouldn't stop them from participating in the election.

"Nothing is more important than voting. What is the connection between voting and this?" said Alex Shamis, a resident of hard-hit Staten Island, gesturing to his mud-filled home.

Election officials in both states were guardedly optimistic that power would be restored and most polling places would be open in all but the worst-hit areas. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order allowing residents to cast a so-called affidavit, or provisional ballot, at any polling place in the state for president and statewide office holders, an opportunity New Jersey was extending to voters as well.

Early voters cast their absentee ballots at the Minneapolis City Hall on the eve of the official polling day. Picture: AP/Jim Mone) Source: AP

11pm: THE first polling stations have opened in America.

Polls opened at 6am (11pm AEDT), in eastern battleground states New Hampshire and Virginia - either of which could decide the election - as well as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont.

10.25pm: AMERICA has woken to its famous democracy's day of days, as millions prepare to choose between Democrat President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

The two leaders have closed their hard-fought and deeply negative battle for the White House, yielding centre stage to voters who face a stark choice between fundamentally different visions for the country's future.

After months of campaigning and billions of dollars spent in the battle for leadership of the world's most powerful country, Obama and Romney were in a virtual nationwide tie ahead of the election, an overt symptom of the vast partisan divide separating Americans in the early years of the 21st century.

Bruce Springsteen welcomes US President Barack Obama to the stage during a rally on the last day of campaigning, but who will be The Boss after polling day? Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

7.36pm: Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen entertained the crowd at President Obama's last rally.

"They tell the story of what our country is," Obama said of the two performers, "but also of what it should be and what it can be."

Asked if there was any downside to using celebrity glitz instead of substance to drive voters to the polls in the final days, Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki laughed. "I think Bruce Springsteen might be offended by you calling him glitzy," she said.

"Bruce Springsteen, and some other celebrities who have been helping us, reach a broad audience that sometimes tune out what's being said by politicians," she said.

Bruce Springsteen performs at the grassroots rally in support of President Barack Obama. Picture: AP Source: AP

7.19pm: Kenyan newspapers are carrying front pages stories about the US election. President Obama calls Kenya "the land of my grandfather".

Kenyan newspapers carry the front page story about U.S. presidential election. Picture: AP Source: AP

7.10pm: After thousands of ads, billions of dollars in spending, two conventions and three presidential debates, it's the campaign gaffes and memes that we remember.

Here's a list of our favourite 20 moments from the campaign trail.

Actor Clint Eastwood speaks to an empty chair while addressing delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Picture: Lynne Sladky Source: AP

6.54pm: Republican consultant Rich Galen said that while Obama's handling of Superstorm Sandy did help the president some, any boost he got from that has subsided and the race "goes back to where it was a week ago" with the economy again the No. 1 issue.

Democratic pollster Doug Schoen, who worked for President Bill Clinton, said that "ultimately, it's the economy" that will drive returns.

"If Romney wins, it's the economy. And if Obama wins, it's because he's been able to blunt the impact of the economy."

Either way, Schoen predicts the country will be even more polarized after the election than it is now.

US President Barack Obama talks to local residents as he visits a Sandy afftected neighbourhood in Brigantine, New Jersey. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

President Barack Obama is greeted by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie upon arriving in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

6.45pm: What a difference four years makes.

Have a look at pictures comparing Obama and Romney with their campaigns of 2008.

6.31pm: A spokeswoman said Obama would not campaign Tuesday, but would remain in his home town of Chicago and reach out to swing-state voters through a series of television and radio interviews.

Romney decided to campaign on Election Day in Ohio and Pennsylvania, before returning to his Boston home to wait out the returns.

Pennsylvania had been seen as solidly in the Obama column. The move was widely seen as a push - perhaps against all odds - to compensate for Obama's expected victory in Ohio.

6.18pm: From Billy Bob Thornton to Harrison Ford. Here are five actors who have played presidents who we'd probably prefer were running in this election.

Read more here.

Kenyan witch-doctor John Dimo, who claims to be 105 years old, interprets the result after throwing shells, bones, and other magic items to predict the outcome of the U.S. election, in front of his hut in the village of Kogelo, from where President Barack Obama's late father came from and whom Dimo claims he knew, in western Kenya Monday, Nov. 5, 2012. While pollsters in the U.S. are using armies of live-interviewers, statistical analysis and the latest automated polling technology, Dimo, who inherited the work from his father in 1962 and has two wives and five children, is confident of his traditional methods and claimed the result would go in Obama's favor. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Source: AP

5.31pm: As President Obama addressed his campaign event in Iowa - his last ever - a single tear rolled down his face.

"Tomorrow, from the granite of New Hampshire to the Rockies of Colorado, from the coastlines of Florida, to Virginia's rolling hills, from the valleys of Ohio to these Iowa fields, we will keep America moving forward".

President Barack Obama speaks, as a tear streams down his face, at his final campaign stop on the evening before the 2012 presidential election. Picture: AP Source: AP

Romney put an exclamation mark on his campaign with his own, rowdy late night rally, at a sports arena in New Hampshire, capping the most expensive campaign season in US history, which cost $6 billion.

"Tomorrow is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do, to put that past four years behind us and build a new future," Romney said.

US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Romney at a rally. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

5.18pm: Scenes from the first voting in Dixville Notch.

People prepare to cast their ballots at a polling station in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

People prepare to cast their ballots inside a polling station just after midnight on November 6, 2012 in Dixville Notch, New hampshire. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Tanner Tillotson, 24, who cast the first ballot at 12.00am in the upscale Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, said he voted for President Obama.

"I hope it will inspire people to get out and make their voice heard," he said.

"I think (the result) is very indicative, that this is the first time in Dixville Notch's history that there is a tie. We're still a very divided nation and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the country is."

Read more about Dixville Notch's first vote here.

5.14pm: The first ballots of the 2012 White House race have been cast in the tiny New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch, with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each receiving five votes.

The first-in-the-nation vote, held shortly after midnight on Tuesday, was tied for the first time in its history, another indication of the knife's edge separating the two candidates in a race that should be decided by the end of the day.

The town boasts the first vote in US elections, but is seen as more of a curiosity than a national bellwether.

5.11pm: If you thought all politicians were the same, there's probably a reason for that.

On the campaign trail: US President Barack Obama and US Republican candidate Mitt Romney hold supporters babies. Source: AFP

Look at more mirror images from the campaign trail.

5.09pm: There's still a long way to go before we have a winner. Polls won't close in the first six states until 11am Wednesday. The last polls will close in Alaska at 4pm.

Read more about tomorrow's timeline here.

Try our presidential quiz to see how well you know your history:

5.05pm: President Obama has relied on an army of A-list performers and public figures - from Lady Gaga to Billie Jean King, from Jay-Z to Crosby, Stills and Nash - to promote his re-election.

The Obama campaign provided a who's-who of 181 actors, musicians, authors, athletes, mayors, Congress members, and more that fit any and all demographic groups in the president's target zone. All are being deployed to carry his message to television and radio in the waning days of a nip-and-tuck campaign.

President Barack Obama is flanked on stage by musicians Jay-Z, left, and Bruce Springsteen at a campaign event. Picture: AP Source: AFP

5.04pm: As the sun set on their prolonged and bitter campaign battle, Obama and Romney converged on Columbus, Ohio, the key swing area of the nation's most celebrated battleground state, which has gotten more candidate attention than any other.

Obama also campaigned in Wisconsin and Iowa, while Romney appeared in Florida, Virginia and New Hampshire.

Romney has sought to add Pennsylvania to that mix, scheduling an Election Day stop in Pittsburgh, along with another in Cleveland. Obama planned to spend Tuesday in his hometown of Chicago, where he cast an early ballot last month.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney right, takes the stage with wife Ann before speaking at a campaign event. Picture: AP Source: AP

5.00pm:More than 30 million Americans have already voted. By the time all polling places close, more than 130 million are expected to have cast ballots across the country.

Insiders in both campaigns say they will be closely watching three states-Ohio, Wisconsin and Virginia-for clues to the outcome of the election.

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