Amashumi ezigidi zabantu baseMelika babheke okhethweni ngoLwesibili lapho bezothatha khona isinqumo sokuphinde bakhethe uMengameli uBarack Obama noma banikeze uMitt Romney weRepublican umsebenzi.
Ukuvota kuqeda umjaho onzima owaqala cishe eminyakeni emibili edlule futhi obize ngaphezu kuka-$2bn (£1.3bn).
Ukuvota kuzoqala ukuvalwa ezifundazweni ezisempumalanga ngo-19:00 EST (00:00 GMT) - owinile angaziwa phakathi kwamabili.
Amavoti akhombisa ukuthi umjaho uyintamo nentamo, yize umongameli ephethe okhethweni oluncane ezifundazweni ezibalulekile.
Ukuvota kuzwelonke okwenziwe yiWashington Post/ABC News kanye nePew Research Centre zombili zinikeza uMnu Obama umkhawulo wamaphuzu amathathu phezu kwembangi yakhe.
“Qala i-Quote
La madoda amabili abona imibono emibili - izimanga ezimbili ezihlukene zeMelika yesikhathi esizayo, ezibenyezelayo emkhathizwe. Kodwa inkinga ikhona ngempela amaMelika amabili akhona manje. Futhi igebe phakathi kwabo liya liba banzi.”
Balinganiselwa ezigidini ezingama-30 abavoti asebevotile, kanti izifundazwe ezingaphezu kuka-30 zivumela ukuvota kwabantu abangekho noma ukuvota mathupha kusenesikhathi.
Phakathi kwamabili, kwaphonswa amavoti okuqala futhi abalwa ngokushesha edolobhaneni elincane lase-Dixville Notch eNew Hampshire. Baphumele obala ngokulingana ngamavoti amahlanu umuntu ngamunye kuMnu Obama noMnu Romney.
'Umsebenzi awuqedwa'
UMnu u-Obama usevotele edolobheni langakubo eChicago, nokuba ngowokuqala ohlezi esikhundleni sokuba ngumongameli ukuvota kusenesikhathi. UMnu Romney kulindeleke ukuthi enze ivoti lakhe eBelmont, Massachusetts, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ngoLwesibili.
Ukhetho lunqunywa ikolishi lokhetho. Isifunda ngasinye sinikezwa inani lamavoti okhetho ngokwesilinganiso esinzima kubantu baso. Ikhandidethi eliwine amavoti okhetho angu-270 - ngokuphumelela emiqhudelwaneni eminingi yezifundazwe owine-thatha konke - uba umongameli.
Izibikezelo zikaPundits
Ochwepheshe ababili balungiselele ukukhipha intamo yabo futhi babikezele imiphumela ezifundeni zokushwiba bobabili babona kusengaphambili ukuthi bazowina Barack Obama. I-Crystal Ball kaLarry Sabato inika u-Obama 290 amavoti ekolishi lokhetho – angama-20 ngaphezulu kwangama-270 adingekayo ukuze awine – kuyilapho uNate Silver engosini ye-New York Times ethi FiveThirtyEight ucabanga ukuthi u-Obama athathe 307 amavoti.
Kukhona ongoti abaqaphayo ababikezela okuphambene. Omunye, uDick Morris, owayenguDemocrat, ubona kusengaphambili Mitt Romney ukucosha 325 amavoti ekolishi lokhetho. UGeorge Will weWashington Post, ubeka uRomney 321. Khonamanjalo, kusukela ekamu lenkululeko, i-Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo ibekaBarack Obama on 303.
Amawebhusayithi ambalwa akhetha ukungabikezeli umphumela kokuthi "i-toss-up" ibona okuncane inzuzo ka-Obama. I-New York Times kanye neWashington Post bobabili bacabanga ukuthi u-Obama uyakwazi ukuncika okungenani 243 amavoti ekolishi lokhetho, uma kuqhathaniswa ne 206 kuMitt Romney. UCharlie Cook unikeza u-Obama 237 eya eRomney 191, kuyilapho i-Real Clear Politics ishiya amavoti aphelele angu-146 ekolishi lokhetho esigabeni esihlomulayo, no-Obama evuliwe. 201, futhi uRomney aqhubeke 191.
Okunye okuvotelwe ngoLwesibili yidlanzana lababusi bezifundazwe, ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu yezihlalo eSigele saseMelika esinamalungu ayi-100 kanye nazo zonke izihlalo ezingama-435 zeNdlu yabaMeli.
AmaRepublicans kulindeleke ukuthi alawule iNdlu, kanti amaDemocrats kuthiwa enze okufanayo eSenate.
Abangenele ukhetho lobumongameli bachithe uMsombuluko bewela izifundazwe ezibalulekile ezinkundleni zempi okubalwa i-Ohio, Florida, Iowa kanye neVirginia, befaka izicelo zokugcina kubavoti. Umsebenzi wabo: Ukuphusha abasekeli babo okhethweni ngenkathi bencenga idlanzana labavoti abangakanqumi ukuthi libasekele.
Ezinkulumeni, uMnu Romney uqhubekile nokuhlasela irekhodi lika-Obama, ephindaphinda uhide lwezibalo athi zikhombisa ukuthi umengameli wehlulekile ukukhipha umnotho wase-US ekuwohlokeni okubi kakhulu selokhu kwaba ne-Great Depression eyalandela ukuwa kwemakethe yamasheya ngo-1929.
"Uma ukholelwa ukuthi singenza kangcono, uma ukholelwa ukuthi iMelika kufanele ibe senkambweni engcono, uma ukhathele ukukhathala ... ngicela ukuthi uvotele ushintsho lwangempela," kusho uMnu Romney etshela irali endaweni yaseVirginia. inhlokodolobha, iWashington DC.
Umengameli uvele emibuthano nomculi uBruce Springsteen nomrepha uJay-Z. Uvumile ukukhungatheka ngomnotho osantenga kodwa watshela abavoti ukuthi “umsebenzi wethu awukaqedwa”.
“Sesihambe kakhulu ukuthi singabuyela emuva manje,” kusho umongameli e-Ohio. “Sesihambe kakhulu ukuvumela izinhliziyo zethu ziphele amandla… Sizoqeda esikuqalile. Sizovuselela lobo budlelwano obusihlanganisayo futhi siqinisekise umoya owenza i-United States of America ibe isizwe esikhulu kunazo zonke eMhlabeni.”
Njengoba izibukeli zilindele umjaho oseduze, izinhlangothi zombili sezilungise amaqembu abameli ukuze kube nezimpi ezingokomthetho ezingaba khona, ikakhulukazi endaweni yempi ebucayi yase-Ohio.
Abanye abahlaziyi besaba ukuthi ukhetho ngeke lunqunywe ngoLwesibili ebusuku uma ivoti lombuso libhidlizwa yizingxabano zomthetho.
NgoLwesibili uMnu Romney uzophinde aqale umkhankaso ngemicimbi ePittsburgh, ePennsylvania naseCleveland, e-Ohio, ngaphambi kokubamba irali yasebusuku yokhetho eBoston.
UMnu Obama uzobamba owakhe umhlangano wasebusuku wokhetho esikhungweni somhlangano eChicago.
(Izindaba ze-BBC)
