(41 P tc4t an 4,3at l
TORD.% .e
M
Ann Arbor Michigan
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
michigandaily.com
Now, the voters decide
Ohio a focus as
campaigns blitz
swing states
By RAYZA GOLDSMITH
Daily News Editor
COLUMBUS, Ohio - After weeks
filled of grueling campaign stops and
rallies across the nation, it's no surprise
that the race for the White House culmi-
nated in Ohio, a state that has proven to
be a critical battleground state in recent
political history.
Ohio and its 18 electoral votes has
been the source of increased speculation
over the course of the campaign, and
many believe the race will be decided in
Ohio. As polls narrow across the state,
the presidential candidates and their
surrogates have made numerous trips
to Ohio, and on Monday both campaigns
held events here in Columbus, in the
hopes of wining over the state.
With the help of Jay-Z and Bruce
Springsteen, Obama reminded the
nearly 15,500-person crowd at Nation-
wide Arena of the importance of voting
on Election Day in securing a victory in
the state, and thus, the country. Later
in the day, Romney appeared with The
Marshall Tucker Band before a crowd
of about 10,000 at the Port Columbus
International Airport to warn attendees
of the consequences of four more years
under the Obama administration.
Ohio carries significance not only
given that the country remains largely
unsure of which candidate will win the
state on Tuesday, but also because it
has historically been a standard bearer
of success for Republican presidential
nominees. No Republican candidate has
won without Ohio, and the winning can-
didate has taken the state in every elec-
tion since 1964.
The Romney and Obama campaigns
each used high-profile performers to
campaign in key battleground states in
order to increase the enthusiasm. But
beyond the glitz and the glamour, the
stars had a message to convey to their
audiences.
"American dream and American
reality, our vote tomorrow is the one
undeniable way we get to determine the
distance in that equation," Springsteen
told the crowd. "Tomorrow we get a per-
sonal hand in shaping the kind of Ameri-
ca we want our kids to grow up in."
Springsteen's message is consistent
with both campaign strategies in the
final days, which is to get out the vote,
whatever it takes. However, this was
somewhat of a. moot point in Ohio on
Monday, at least for those who turned
out for Obama's . event. Early voting
began more than a week before Election
Day in Ohio, and nearly 1.6 million peo-
ple have already cast their ballot.
When Jay-Z asked the crowd to
scream if they had already voted, he was
received by a robust response, and the
See OHIO, Page 2
Top Jay-Z, President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen campaign at a rally in Columbus Ohio on Monday. More than 15,000 people attended.
Bottom Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romey also campaigned in Ohio Monday as part of a final sweep through four swing states
ELECTION 2012
Polling
places
closely
watched
Election monitors in
,place to ensure fair
voting practices
By ALICIA ADAM4CZYK
Daily Staf Reporter
Students votingTuesday may notice
increased numbers of election moni-
tors at polling stations around campus
as part of an effort to combat voter
intimidation.
Many organizations are worried
the emphasis placed on preventing
voter fraud in this year's election will
increase the likelihood of voter intimi-
dation practices. Conservative, liberal-
leaning and independent groups are
dispatching lawyers and law students.
to monitor polling places across the
country to assuage this fear and to
See POLLING, Page 6
GOP makes final
case to Michigan
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow at an Election Day Eve rally in Weill Hall on Monday night.
Confident Dems
By ANDREW SCHULMAN
Daily StaffReporter
JACKSON, Mich. - Jo Ankney
hoisted up her sign, adorned with a
map of a red-colored Michigan with
the words "The Mitten for the Mitt"
into the air repeatedly at an outdoor
rally here Monday night, the last stop
on the Michigan Republican Party's
"Believe in Michigan - Jobs First" bus
tour.
Braving temperatures below 40
degrees outside the GOP's campaign
office for Republican presidential nom-
inee Mitt Romney, she was there not
only to back Romney's candidacy but
to champion his vision for the coun-
try. Ankney said she wanted voters to
know that what worked for the state
could work for the nation, a prominent
See GOP, Page 6
rally on
By KATIE BURKE and
SAM GRINGLAS
Daily StaffReporters
Though the air was chilly as stu-
dents gathered outside Weill Hall on
Election Day Eve, the crowd was fired
up as the maize and blue tour bus of
Mark Bernstein, a Democratic can-
didate for the University's Board of
Regents, pulled up on Hill Street full of
campus
Michigan Democratic candidates.
The University's chapter of College
Democrats hosted a-rally on Monday
night to promote the state's Demo-
cratic candidates, including U.S. Sen.
Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Rep. JohnDing-
ell, and Michigan Supreme Court can-
didates Bridget.Mary McCormack and
Connie Kelley.
The candidates, accompanied by a
See DEMS, Page 6
WEATHER HI: 48
TOMORROW L LO 32
GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail #michlinks
news@michigandaily.com and letus know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE
INDEX
Vol. CXXIII, No. 40
020t2 The Michigan Daily
nichigondoily.com -
NEW S..... .................2 ARTS... ....................5
AP NEW S .............. ......3 CLA SSIFIEDS...............6
OPINION...........4 SPORTS.......................7
A4
q 4