Polls don't matter, Electoral College does in determining the next president

By Anna M. Tinsley

FORT WORTH, Texas — Just one week.

 What a difference it has made in the race for the White House between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. Not long ago, pundits and polls were saying Obama was on the verge of pulling away.

 But since the first presidential debate Oct. 3, Romney has gained ground in the polls, and fewer states appear locked in for Obama in the Electoral College. The race is shaping up as a dead heat.

 The candidates are targeting a few battleground states, trying to sew up the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the presidency.

 So as the campaign enters the final three weeks, most states shouldn't expect much personal attention from the candidates.

 "The states where you know what the voters will do are not important," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "The key states are where the polls are close and either candidate stands a chance of winning."

 Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida are among the top battlegrounds....

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