After enduring 17 months of campaigning and $3 billion worth of advertising, millions of Americans will have an opportunity to vote for the next US president today. More than 175 million US citizens are registered to vote, although polling experts believe voter turnout will be down slightly on the 55 per cent recorded in 2008 . While polls formally open today, as many as 40 per cent of the electorate have availed of early voting options over recent days or weeks. The presidential election campaign is effectively centred on just nine swing states -- one of the smallest playing fields in recent history. Both campaigns agree that 36 states are not competitive. Some 22 will vote for Republican Mitt Romney, while 14 will plump for President Barack Obama. However the states where the president is popular are more populous. When tallied with electoral college votes attached to each state, Obama is in a stronger position.

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