As the election nears, the Social Ballot will be reporting on Twitter trends as they relate to the 2012 election in a series titled "Twitter Battleground." Follow the California and general election on Twitter with IVN using the hashtag #indyvote.

On Thursday, October 25, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell publicly endorsed the President for reelection. This is the second time that Powell has offered his endorsement to Obama, and he made the announcement on CBS's This Morning.

Author's note: The reader will notice that some of the differences between Barack Obama in 2008 vs 2012 are actually from 2007. As presidential campaigns begin to last two years, statements made in 2007 are relevant because they are closely related to the 2008 campaign.

Prop 34 seeks to change the manner in which the state of California handles death penalty convictions in the state. Prop 34, if passed, would apply retroactively to inmates currently on death row. Also, Prop 34 would replace death sentences with lifetime sentences for the most serious offenders in California.

In an attempt to earn the highest office of the United States of America, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have set records in spending, with the cost of campaigning skyrocketing daily.