Romney to campaign on Election Day in battlegrounds Ohio, Pa.

Mitt Romney will make Election Day stops in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, a Romney campaign official confirmed Monday to The Washington Post.

The late additions to the candidate's schedule are a sign that the Republican nominee felt it necessary to make a late push in Pennsylvania and Ohio, two states that are key to President Obama's Rust Belt firewall. If the president is able to hold the pair, along with Wisconsin and Iowa, he will likely have enough electoral votes to secure a second term.

The Romney campaign did not immediately reveal what shape the political events would take, although NBC News reported that in Cleveland, he would likely visit his campaign's field office in the city. ABC News reported that Romney would first vote in Boston before departing for the campaign trips, with the candidate expected to return to Boston for his Tuesday election night rally.

Candidates traditionally shy away from large rallies on Election Day, hoping passionate supporters will both cast their ballots and assist in get-out-the-vote operations. But the move is not unprecedented. Obama visited Indiana in 2008 on Election Day, and then-President George W. Bush visited Ohio in 2004. Both candidates eventually carried those states.

Romney has visited both Ohio and Pennsylvania in the closing days of the campaign. His visit to the Philadelphia area Sunday was his first there in weeks, and drew tens of thousands of supporters. On Monday, he plans an afternoon rally in Columbus, Ohio.

The stops come despite what had initially been billed as a campaign finale Monday night in New Hampshire. Musician Kid Rock is expected to be on hand, and indications were that Romney had planned to be in nearby Boston for the day. 

Obama is expected to spend Tuesday in Chicago. The president's campaign has not yet announced the president's itinerary, although he is expected to play a game of pickup basketball at some point.

—This story was updated at 3:10 p.m.

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