CRAWFORD, Nov 2: President George Bush expressed concern that a decisive result to the US election must be quickly announced as he voted on Tuesday, publicly confident of securing a new four-year term.

"My hope, of course, is this election ends tonight," said Mr Bush, who had to wait 36 tense days before being declared winner of the 2000 election as Republicans and Democrats battled over the result in Florida.

"I think it's very important for it to end tonight. The world watches our great democracy function and it would be nothing better for our system for the election to be conclusively over tonight," he said.

With polls showing Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry in a neck-and-neck race, Bush was to make a campaign stop in Ohio as he returned from voting in Texas to White House.

"This election is in the hands of the people. And I feel very comfortable about that," he said after voting with his wife Laura and twin daughters at a fire station in Crawford.

Bush said the election would be decided on the "big issues of war and peace and the economy."-AFP