Candidates Make Final Push

With Election Day looming tomorrow, President Obama and Mitt Romney are making their final cases:

• Both have rallies scheduled in that oh-so-important of states, Ohio, today. Obama is also visiting Wisconsin and Iowa, while Romney will hit Florida, Virginia, and New Hampshire, the AP reports. Romney has also been making a last-minute push for a Pennsylvania upset, and drew thousands to a rally there yesterday—though the cold drove quite a few to leave early. The Washington Post notes that between the two candidates, there are a total of 14 events in eight states scheduled today.
• Final polls are coming into alignment, writes Nate Silver in the New York Times. Obama looks set to enter Election Day with what Silver calls "a very modest lead" nationally. Click for more on the most recent polls.

• Many are warning that the outcome of the race may not be determined tomorrow. The New York Times takes a look at some of the legal battles that are already under way—one in Florida, where there were problems with early voting; one in Iowa, where Democrats have been accused of getting older voters to fill out illegal absentee ballots for relatives; and another in Ohio, where voters are being forced to attest what form of identification they provided. Republicans are defending the requirement in court today; critics say it could cause thousands of provisional ballots not to be counted. Similar problems could emerge in other states, especially those where the race is close.
• The media is determined not to mess this up, like in 2000 when Florida was prematurely called for Al Gore. The New York Times has a rundown of the precautions that are being taken, and notes that while many websites are sure to call the race early, the networks and newspapers are waiting until West Coast polls close at 11pm Eastern.
• The Times also has two portraits worth reading, one of Obama waxing nostalgic about his final campaign, and the other of Romney relishing the feeling that, as one senior adviser puts it, "the presidency is within his grasp." Both candidates are surrounding themselves with longtime advisers and friends in their campaigns' final hours.
• The AP notes that celebrities are coming out for the homestretch, but mostly for Obama: Pitbull endorsed him in Florida; Stevie Wonder played a song for him in Ohio; Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z will appear at rallies today. As for Romney, the Marshall Tucker Band played for him in Pennsylvania.
• For the superstitious: The Washington Redskins lost yesterday. Since 1936, whenever that has happened, the incumbent party also lost the White House—with one exception, in 2004.

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