First lady votes for Obama via absentee ballot

{mosads}The campaign tweeted a photo of the first lady holding up her absentee ballot, and she personally tweeted, “I couldn’t wait for Election Day!” Michelle Obama is registered to vote in Illinois.

“For me, it was Election Day,” Michelle Obama told the crowd Monday
afternoon at a campaign event in Delaware, Ohio. “Today, I voted for my
husband. It felt so good. Right now, my absentee ballot is on its way to
Illinois, my home state. Which means that we are one vote closer to
re-electing my husband and moving this country forward.”

The president later tweeted that he will be following Michelle Obama’s example by voting early. According to the campaign, it is the first time a sitting president and first lady have voted early in a presidential election. Typically, visits to the voting booth provide a photo opportunity on Election Day. In 2008, the Obamas voted at the Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School in Chicago.

Hey, @barackobama, I just dropped my absentee ballot in the mail – I couldn’t wait for Election Day! Love you! –mo

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) October 15, 2012

The First Lady just cast her 2012 ballot! Find out if you can vote early too: OFA.BO/fsD2uT, twitter.com/MichelleObama/…

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) October 15, 2012

I’m following @michelleobama‘s example and voting early, on October 25. If your state has early voting, join me: OFA.BO/JbSUkk -bo

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 15, 2012

The Obama campaign has emphasized early voting and absentee options, particularly in swing states, and saw a payoff in a Monday poll indicating a strong lead for Obama among those who have already voted.

“In states around the country, voters can already vote early in person or by mail,” the first lady said in a statement. “It means you don’t have to worry about your schedule filling up, or getting sick, or having to work late on Election Day. And more than anything, it means you can act right now to move our country forward.”

The two presidential campaigns are keeping pace when it comes to voter registration and early voting in the important battleground states of Nevada, Florida, Colorado and New Hampshire. 

Updated at 3:08 p.m.