Barack Obama, Early Voting | featured news

The President voted Thursday in his hometown neighborhood in Chicago. He cast his ballot in between stops in Cleveland, Tampa and Richmond. Obama is pumping up efforts in key states, visiting eight states in two days.

Early voters could account for up to 40 percent of all voters in the 2012 presidential election, and polls of people who already have cast ballots show President Barack Obama with a comfortable lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Obama’s hoping what happened with Katy Perry in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas, but spreads to the whole state of Nevada to give him an edge. The president and the pop star joined forces into the wee hours on Wednesday night for a campaign rally concert in the battleground state, where they pumped up a crowd of 13,000. The sexy singer adapted her signature style for the event, turning her body into a ballot in a tight white latex dress printed with the names of the candidates.

The election is still three weeks away, but first lady Michelle Obama voted for the president on Monday. "The president and first lady are making history by voting early in person and by mail in order to promote the ease, convenience, and importance of voting," the Obama campaign said in a press release on Monday.

A month before the closing arguments of a campaign traditionally would be made, a steady stream of voters walked into election offices across Iowa on Thursday to cast their ballots.