Obama casts his midterm election vote in Illinois

President Obama cast an early vote in Illinois' midterm election Monday, though like some candidates - notable Kentucky's Democratic Senate candidate, Alison Lundergan Grimes, he wouldn't reveal which names were punched on his ballot.

"Well, I can't say that," Mr. Obama told a reporter who inquired which of the candidates he would be voting for. But, he added, "Before I walked in, I said this is the most important office in a democracy...the office of the citizenry."

His preferences aren't exactly a state secret, though. He traveled to Chicago's South Side Sunday evening to attend a rally for Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who is locked in a tight re-election campaign against Republican Bruce Rauner.

"It's so exciting. I love voting. Everybody in Illinois, early vote, it's a wonderful opportunity," he said while walking in.

Mr. Obama was voting at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center, near his family's home on Chicago's South Side. While he was picking up his ballot, several of his neighbors also showed up to cast their ballots. The president introduced them to the people staffing the voting center.

Later, he took a photo and thanked everyone who was there.