Decision Time USA Newsround

It is the longest, most expensive and most important election

campaign in the world, and it is almost over. You know that I will

fight for you and your family's every single day. To the people

want four more years like the last year's? No. The race to the White

House is almost over. Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney are

neck-and-neck. When Obama came to power, it was seen by millions

around the world as a real moment of change. I have come to America

to find out why so many people here seem to think he has let them down.

Good Morning America, breaking news. The Perfect Storm. A week before

polling day, Sandy added even more unpredictability to this already

unpredictable election. The deadly storm caused billions of dollars of

damage to people's homes and businesses, particularly in New

York. Every single person on this block have lost everything. I can't

believe this. It meant Obama Ann Romney both had to quickly change

their plans. And so did we, because of all the disruption to flight. We

have ended up here in Atlanta in the state of Georgia, home to

rapper Kanye West and Coca-Cola. But we need to be in North Carolina,

400 miles away. So you can imagine there is a long drive ahead.

Virginia and North Carolina are swing states. In a presidential

election, the votes in each state added to find out which candidate

has won. Then each state gets a number of votes for their candidate

according to their population of. California gets 55, Wyoming gets

three. They need 270 to win. Most of the 50 states in the USA have

strong majorities in favour of either the president or the

Republican Party's Mitt Romney. But at the moment, nine swing states

are evenly balanced and could go either way. The most important

factor is an election he is usually the economy. When Barack Obama came

to power, he inherited terrible economic problems, and a lot of

Americans are still finding it tough. Mills and factories once

made this place in North Carolina a bustling, rich town. Not any more.

Other countries make things more cheaply. Now most of the jobs have

gone, and so has nearly everything else. Nathan, you have seen some

big changes in this town? Yeah. We have not seen a train in probably

two years. The last time we saw it, I was in a class. We heard it go by

and everybody came rushing out because we had not seen a train in

a year. Why are there no more trains coming a long? Most of the

factories and mills that used to be here stopped working. There is no

longer any need for any industry or products. This town might never be

the same again. The older generation here are genuinely

worried that things can only get worse. The American dream is about

ordinary families being optimistic, working hard and making a good life

for themselves. That dream seems to be slipping away. But despite this,

some who have suffered the most are also most likely to vote for Obama.

Part of the reason is that in many ways, the United States is actually

pretty divided. In 2008, 95% of black people who voted, voted for

Obama. To win, he needs to persuade people like these at this Baptist

Church in and Zandra, Virginia, to turn out for him again. Right now,

this thing is neck-and-neck. What was it like four years ago, when

you were watching the telly and saw the results? Oh, my gosh, it was

awesome. It was great. First black president of America. I never

thought I would see that. I stood in line for two hours, but it was

worth it. I am voting for President Obama. He will continue to be a

great President, because he is going to win. Have you already

voted? Yes, I stood in line for four hours and it was worth every

moment, in the rain. That was amazing. I have never experienced a

service like that. The support for Barack Obama is clear here. Part of

the reason for that lies in America's past. Most black people

in the US are descended from Africans brought to America to work

as slaves. Slavery was banned in 1865 after the American Civil War,

but racism and inequality remained. But people in southern states were

prevented from voting and were treated as second-class citizens.

It was not until 1964, 100 years after the end of the war, that the

Civil Rights Act was finally passed, banning discrimination. This

history is why, when Obama was elected in 2008, it was such a

massive deal. It explains why he has the support of so many back

Americans. But he also has the backing of another growing group of

people. A Latin dance class in Richmond, Virginia's gettable. Most

of these kids' families did not come from Africa or Europe, but

from Mexico, Haiti, Cuba and other Central and South American

countries. The Hispanic population in America is growing all the time.

They reckon about 70% of the Hispanic population will vote for

Barack Obama. Who are you going to America may be a divided country,

but it is also a hugely patriotic, and it is places like this that

help us understand why. This is the Second World War memorial, just one

of the monuments in Washington's National more remembering Americans

who have died in action overseas. Standing here, you get a real sense

of America's power and position at the centre of world events. That is

why the whole world is interested in every presidential election.

Around the globe, people feel either protected or threatened by

the US, and that is why they want to know what President things about

all sorts of world issues, but especially defence. This is about

an hour outside America's biggest army base. It is just down the road,

and there are lots of families with mums and dads in the armed forces.

One of those families' lives here. Time to catch up with them. What is

it like having your dad out in a war-zone sometimes? Is it quite

difficult for you sometimes? Why? Had because only one parent is

there to do everything that normally, two parents would do.

Sometimes, the one parent is stressed and irritated because they

have to do so much, especially with four kids. Four years ago, you

voted for Barack Obama. But recently, you have voted for this

election and you voted for Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate.

Why the change? When President Obama was running for office the

first time, he really was this beacon for people. "I will bring

the country back together". At that point, we had been at war for

almost eight years. It has been disappointing, and the world

remains dangerous. Talking to the family has given me a lot to think

about. In a few days I have been here, I have come to realise that

the USA is complicated and Americans have very different ideas

about the type of man who should be their President. Four years ago,

Americans voted for change. The result, it ground-breaking

President, Barack Obama. But during my stay here, I have seen a country

which is not as confident about the future as it used to be. So can

Obama hang on to the top job? Like everyone else, we will have to see