She admits that it's a challenge getting students excited about going to the polls.

CNN: Campus Politics: From storming dorms to abject apathy

"The challenge for us is to demonstrate that we are taking information presented in the polls seriously and that we are making changes when needed, " says Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for the American Association of Health Plans.

CNN: Survey finds skepticism about managed-care motives

In the weeks before Mr Brown became prime minister last June, the party did nothing to challenge Tory claims that he would not enjoy a honeymoon bounce in the polls.

ECONOMIST: The Labour government

And I think it's a responsibility of our political leaders to respond to the real challenge and the real requirements for American policy and not to decide things by public opinion polls.

NPR: President Bush Airs His Ideas About Iraq and Iran

In a region where multiparty elections are increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception, the challenge remains how to prevent the process from being marred by violence before, during and after the polls.

UNESCO: THEMES

What makes the Romney mobilization particularly threatening to Obama is that it targets his biggest challenge -- polls consistently show him ahead but there are ominous signs that a decisive group of those supporters won't actually cast a ballot.

CNN: How Ryan can take Romney to the White House

Some analysts speculate that a leadership challenge may be mounted against Mr Bersani, who failed to capitalise on opinion polls showing much bigger support for the centre-left before the elections.

BBC: Italy election: President Napolitano rejects new polls