Dead heat between Obama, Romney as US goes to polls

As Americans went to the polls to elect their president for the next four years, all opinion polls showed it to be one of the closest races ever, with President Barak Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney running neck and neck.

After a long and often acrimonious campaign for the White House, Americans began casting their votes on Tuesday at polling stations across the country, with At least 120 million citizens expected to vote on whether to give Obama a second term or replace him with Romney.

In a race this close, a handful of 'swing states' are expected to decide the outcome. National opinion polls show that the Democratic incumbent has a slight advantage in several vital states, most notably Ohio, that could give him the 270 electoral votes needed to win the state-by-state contest.

With the US economy in poor health, the debate between the two sides centred mainly on economic measures rather than foreign affairs or social policies. Both sides billed the election day choice as one with far-reaching repercussions for a nation still recovering from the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression and at odds over how big a role government should play in solving the country's problems.

Here, Obama's strong stance against outsourcing of jobs is expected to give him a slight edge.

The voters' decision will set the country's course for the next four years on spending, taxes, healthcare and foreign policy challenges like the rise of China and Iran's nuclear ambitions.