THE democratic ticket may have seen its lead narrow in recent weeks. But Barack Obama is the landslide favorite around the world.

The Economist's "Global vote" allows everyone on the planet to cast a ballot for the next leader of the free world. After all, who becomes the American president has global implications: isn't letting only Americans vote a tad parochial? So far, three-fourths of Economist.com readers prefer Mr Obama. Supporters of the Republican candidate Mitt Romney hail mainly from Asia and and Africa. Readers are strongly encouraged to vote, since though Mr Obama is on course to win, the percentage of the victory and countries that swing Republican are interesting signals about politics around the world (or, at least for what it says about our website visitors).

Meanwhile, our election map shows that Mr Obama has lost his lead in Florida and has a slim deficit in Virginia, while his leads in Ohio and Colorado are minuscule—all important battleground states where perceptions of Mr Romney have improved lately. The map considers the most recent polls from a variety of sources to give an inkling of what may happen on election day. The recent GOP gains are fascinating to see.

Looking at the historical trends of previous re-election bids of all post-war presidents and the economy show a mixed picture for Mr Obama, as we note in a "charticle" in this week's paper, "Predicting re-elections: Follow the data." Mr Obama's has the worst unemployment rate and near-worst economic growth rate of any incumbent in more than 50 years. That might spell disaster. But things are not as bleak as they may seem. The overall trend lines looks closer to the performance of those who won re-election.

For non-American voters, their position is clear. But for those who may actually cast a ballot on November 6th, it is very much an open race.