CHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama has cast his ballot early, returning to his hometown of Chicago to drum up support for early voting.

The president says, ‘‘all across the country we’re seeing a lot of early voting.’’ He says it was ‘‘really convenient’’ but jokes, ‘‘I can’t tell you who I voted for.’’

Obama signed forms and showed his driver’s license at a South Side Chicago voting site and then voted at a blue voting machine.

It was the first time a sitting presidential nominee voted early and reflects the Obama campaign’s strategy to encourage as many voters as possible to vote early or by absentee ballot.