Obama votes early in Chicago as he leads Ohio polls

President Barack Obama is casting his ballot for president this afternoon in Chicago.

The Obama campaign said the president's decision is part of effort to get supporters to the polls early this year, in an effort to capitalize on a growing trend and lock up voting in key swing states, the Washington Post reported.

"If it’s good enough for the President to vote early, it’s good enough for anyone else in this country,’’ Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told the Post in Tampa, Florida.

The president told supporters in Tampa this morning of his plan to vote early and asked them to join him:

"I can't tell you who I'm voting for—it's a secret ballot," Obama joked. "But Michelle says she voted for me. We can vote early in Illinois, just like you can vote right now in Florida. So I've come to Florida today to ask you for your vote."

He added "and you notice, my voice is getting a little hoarse. But I'm just going to keep on keeping on until every single person out there who needs to vote is going to go vote. Because the stakes are just so high, Florida."

The Obama campaign has been making a hard push for early voting, especially in the battleground state Ohio, where he leads by 5 points according to a Time poll released Thursday.