Early ballots flood in across US

Early balloting opened on Monday in many places

There are still 10 days left before US election day, but millions of voters have already cast their ballots.

More than one in five voters plans to vote early - and about 5% have already done so, the National Annenberg Election Survey announced this week.

Election officials hope early voting will help relieve pressure on election day itself, 2 November, when larger than average turnouts are expected.

Some 30 states allow early or absentee votes without any need for explanation.

About 1.3 million Americans had voted in eight battleground states as of Friday, the Washington Post reported.

Counties across the hard-fought state of Colorado were reporting record turnout in the first week of early voting, the Denver Post wrote.

Q&A: Swing states

"Everybody is real excited about the turnout," Elbert County Clerk Amy Fordyce told the newspaper.

Both parties are still working hard to capture Colorado. Senator John Kerry and Vice-President Dick Cheney are both making stops in the Rocky Mountain state on Saturday.

They are also battling over Florida, by far the largest state still up for grabs.

Mr Kerry and his running mate John Edwards are both campaigning in Florida on Saturday, as is President Bush.

The Democrats have also drafted two heavy hitters to rally votes in the Sunshine state: Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore, who narrowly lost the state and the presidency to Mr Bush in 2000.

New advertising

Both parties have unveiled new commercials to attack their opponents.

Bush turned the wolves on Kerry in a campaign advert

Mr Bush' shows a pack of wolves prowling menacingly on screen as a female narrator accuses John Kerry of being dangerously weak on national security.

Mr Edwards described it as a despicable and contemptible attempt to scare Americans.

For their part, the Democrats liken George Bush to an ostrich, with his head in the sand, while comparing John Kerry to a soaring eagle.

The Democrats are also hoping former president Bill Clinton, who had a quadruple heart bypass last month, will be fit enough to make an appearance and give the Kerry campaign a boost.

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says polls suggest the outcome of the election is still too close to call, although President Bush has a slight edge in most national surveys.