Race to the White House heats up on last day of US presidential campaign

Obama edges ahead of Romney in polls as candidates race across swing seats

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have begun their final day of campaigning with a fight for votes from residents in swing states across the US.

Democrat candidate Obama will visit Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio, whereas Republican Romney will visit Florida (where he is ahead in the polls), Virginia, New Hampshire and Ohio.

Ohio in particular is an intense campaigning hotspot, as no Republican has ever won the White House without taking Ohio, meaning that if Obama can stop Romney there he is likely to be triumphant.

This election is expected to be very closely fought, with the pair running neck-and-neck in national polls.

However, Obama is believed to be narrowly ahead in surveys of swing battlegrounds, with a 45 to 48 per cent lead. Both candidates had a lead of 47 per cent before Hurricane Sandy hit the US East Coast last week.

Romney and Obama visited Ohio yesterday, with Romney criticising Obama's record by saying 'he's been divisive, blaming, attacking, dividing and - by the way - it's not only Republicans that he refused to listen to, he also refused to listen to independent voices.'

Obama meanwhile went to Aurora, the site of the 'Batman' shooting earlier this year. He also appeared in Cincinnati at a rally which was opened by soul legend Stevie Wonder.

He told the crowds: 'We have come too far to turn back now.'

The election is run using an 'electoral college' system, with each state getting a number of votes based on its population.

The candidate who wins 270 electoral college votes becomes president.

The election will take place tomorrow, November 6.

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