President Obama and Mitt Romney have 71 days of campaigning from Monday until the election. The closing chapter of the race will be highlighted by a handful of marquee events that could change the dynamic of the contest. The political conventions will give way to a burst of campaigning in September, followed by the closely watched debates in October. While the election is not until Nov. 6, tens of millions of voters will not wait. Early voting begins in less than a month in Iowa, and four years ago, 88 percent of the electorate in the battleground state of Colorado cast their ballots before Election Day.
| AUGUST 27-30 | Republican National Convention, Tampa, Fla. |
| SEPT. 4-6< /td> | Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, N.C. |
| SEPT. 7 | Unemployment data released for August |
| SEPT. 27 | Early voting begins in Iowa |
| OCT. 2 | Early voting begins in Ohio |
| OCT. 3 | Presidential debate, Denver |
| OCT. 5 | Unemployment data released for September |
| OCT. 11 | Vice-presidential debate, Danville, Ky. |
| OCT. 16 | Presidential debate, Hempstead, N.Y. |
| OCT. 22 | Presidential debate, Boca Raton, Fla. |
| NOV. 2 | Unemployment data released for October |
| NOV. 6 | Election Day |
