On Nov. 6, 2012, voters in the United States will head to the polls to decide whether to give incumbent President Barack Obama a second term or replace him with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Here are where the candidates stand on the issues, in the words of their respective campaigns.

JOBS AND ECONOMY

Obama: "President Obama is fighting to grow the economy from the middle class out, not the top down.

This election presents a choice between two fundamentally different visions of how to grow our economy and create good middle-class jobs."

Romney: "Mitt Romney will rebuild the foundations of the American economy on the principles of free enterprise, hard work, and innovation. His plan seeks to reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility. It relinquishes power to the states instead of claiming to have the solution to every problem."

TAXES

Obama: "President Obama cut taxes for every working American, and is fighting to keep taxes for middle-class families low. Now, he’s working to simplify the tax code while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. No household making more than $1 million each year should pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than a middle-class family pays."

Romney: "Reducing and stabilizing federal spending is essential, but breathing life into the present anemic recovery will also require fixing the nation’s tax code to focus on jobs and growth.

To repair the nation’s tax code, marginal rates must be brought down to stimulate entrepreneurship, job creation, and investment, while still raising the revenue needed to fund a smaller, smarter, simpler government. The principle of fairness must be preserved in federal tax and spending policy."

IMMIGRATION

Obama: "President Obama recognizes that our immigration system is broken, and he’s taking steps to make immigration policy more fair, efficient, and just. He is committed to working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act. The Obama Administration is focusing immigration enforcement efforts on those who endanger our communities, and is de-emphasizing low-priority cases like students, veterans, seniors, and military families."

Romney: "Implement a national immigration strategy that bolsters the U.S. economy, ensures our security, keeps nuclear families together, addresses the problem of illegal immigration in a civil and resolute manner, and carries on America’s tradition as a nation of legal immigrants. Foreign-born residents with advanced degrees start companies, create jobs, and drive innovation at a high rate. While lawful immigrants comprise about 8 percent of the population, immigrants start 16 percent of our top-performing, high-technology companies, hold the position of CEO or lead engineer in 25 percent of high-tech firms, and produce over 25 percent of all patent applications filed from the United States."

HEALTH CARE

Obama: "President Obama believes that quality, affordable health insurance you can rely on is a key part of middle-class security. By putting a stop to insurance company abuses, Obamacare is giving millions of Americans peace of mind."

Romney: "On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all fifty states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible. In place of Obamacare, Mitt will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition."

ENERGY

Obama: "We are less reliant on foreign oil than at any time in the last 20 years, and President Obama has a plan to further cut oil imports in half by 2020. By developing all of our resources, we can create jobs and make America more energy independent."

Romney: "Make America an energy superpower, rapidly and responsibly increasing our own production and partnering with our allies Canada and Mexico to achieve energy independence on this continent by 2020. This will require genuine support for increased energy production, a more rational approach to regulation, and a government that facilitates private-sector-led development of new energy technologies by focusing on funding research and removing barriers, rather than chasing fads and picking winners and losers."

EDUCATION

Obama: "By spurring states to raise classroom standards and reforming student loans, President Obama has put an affordable, high-quality education within reach for millions more students and their families. President Obama understands that education is not a top- down, one-size-fits-all issue—that’s why he has given states the flexibility to create their own ambitious plans for reform, relieving them of restrictive No Child Left Behind mandates. President Obama is investing in community colleges to provide education and career-training programs, ensuring that everyone who works hard can get ahead."

Romney: "Mitt Romney will pursue genuine education reform that puts the interests of parents and students ahead of special interests and provides a chance for every child. He will take the unprecedented step of tying federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their results instead of their tenure. These policies will equip state leaders to achieve the change that can only come from commitment and action at the local level. He will also ensure that students have diverse and affordable options for higher education to give them the skills they need to succeed after graduation and that, when they graduate, they can find jobs that provide a rewarding return on their educational investment."

FOREIGN POLICY

Obama: "President Obama has restored America’s standing across the globe and kept his promise to be a strong and responsible leader on foreign policy. Obama is drawing down our troops in Afghanistan as we transition security responsibility to the Afghan people, and is on track to responsibly end the war there in 2014. Obama made the bold decision to order a raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, eliminating the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the only leader al Qaeda had ever known."

Romney: "A Romney foreign policy will proceed with clarity and resolve. Our friends and allies will not have doubts about where we stand and what we will do to safeguard our interests and theirs. Neither will our rivals, competitors, and adversaries. The best ally world peace has ever known is a strong America. The 'last best hope of earth' was what Abraham Lincoln called our country. Mitt Romney believes in fulfilling the promise of Lincoln’s words and will defend America abroad in word and in deed."