(CNN) - Voters in Iowa have their first chance to cast ballots in the presidential election Thursday, marking the first battleground state to begin in-person early voting.
Idaho, South Dakota, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine all began in-person early voting earlier this month.
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Ohio, a key battleground, begins early voting next week, while other key states like Nevada, Wisconsin and Florida begin early voting in October.
Depending on state law, early voting can either be done in-person, through the mail or through an absentee ballot. Some states require an excuse for absentee voting while others are moving toward no-excuse absentee balloting. Military personnel are able to vote by email.
READ MORE: In voting, the early bird skips the line
The latest poll, released in mid-September, showed President Barack Obama with a slight edge in the battle for Iowa's six electoral votes. The NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll showed Obama with 50% of likely Iowa voters, compared to 42% who back Romney.
CNN's Allison Brennan contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
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The only thing the GOT got going for them is voter suppression which is a blatant violation of the Constitution of the United States. But it won't work because more Democrats are registered than in 08 and alot more Republicans and Independents are also voting Democrat in 2012! Last night I called up my cousin Fleetwood Mack and I said how you doing sis? She replied...LANDSLIDE. Hehe!
Obama/Biden 2012!
Obama has done so many wrongs to us in 4 years, an u imagine what harm he will do in 4 more
Give Romney a Chance. We know he can fix the budget. If there is anything else he needs help with it's OK because he will have plenty of help.
GOP argrument that the voter turnout model of 2008 used by pollsters is incorrect. But
Gallup poll tells us the Voter enthusiasm in the swing states has grown among members of both political parties; however, Democrats' level has increased more. Thus, whereas equal percentages of Democrats and Republicans were enthusiastic in June, Democrats are now significantly more enthusiastic than Republicans, 73% vs. 64%. Dems outnumber Reps in voter registration and now voter enthusiasm. So the polls showing Romney down 10pts is correct.
forward 2012
As soon as voting begins in my state I will be at the polls voting for OBAMA and a full slew of Democrats at every level. Time to purge the Tea Party!!
@ Nameleganaway@gmail.com – You don't know that he will fix the budget. Nobody does. He hasn't said how. All he has given are generalizations. I could say that I'm going to build a house on the moon, but until I give you a valid plan to do so there is no reason to believe me.
There will be a landslide in November!
I don't think that, in general, fraudulent voting is a problem... what is wrong to me is voting over 30 days. Votes are being cast with different information available. If we need multiple days for voting, then lets vote over three (3) sequential days. I can't believe that voting over a thirty day period is necessary to ensure that all are allowed to vote. If that is a need, let us change voting to over a five or six month period; why stop at only thirty or so days.
Voting for Romney is like voting for the joker in Batman – you're not sure what you will get, but most likely it will go to the corrupt power brokers in the country while screwing the average guy.
THANK GOD the process has started to correct the horrendous mistake this country made in 2008 when they put an inexperienced community organizer in the Whitehouse because he could give a good teleprompter speech. Little did everybody know, THAT was the extent of his abilities.
this morning its being reported that the white house knew the day of the libya attack that it was a terrorist operation from al qaeda...but the white house covered this up and sent out susan rice to say it was a flash mob...
what is going on in the white house?????? they said the FBI was being dispatched to libya 2 weeks ago...and they are still not there... why is the WH outright lying to the "folks" as obama likes to call us.....
Rather have someone that organized the community, than someone that steals from the poorest community to give to the richest 1 percent.