(Evan Vucci / AP Photo)

A day after hitting the campaign trail to get out the vote, President Obama did just that, casting his ballot early in Chicago.

"The most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen," the president told reporters at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, as he took advantage of the first day of early voting in Illinois.

"I'm so glad I can early vote. It's so exciting. I love voting," the president said, in a not-so-subtle sales pitch. "Everybody in Illinois, early vote. It's a wonderful opportunity."

After filling out the necessary paperwork, the president spent several minutes behind the voting booth. He would not say who he voted for, but said Sunday night he planned to cast his vote to re-elect Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. Pat Quinn.

Obama often quips that Democrats have a "congenital disease," that they don't vote in midterms. Now, with just two weeks until the critical elections, the president is stepping up his effort to encourage Democrats to vote.

Obama hit the campaign trail Sunday for the first time this cycle, appearing at rallies for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in Maryland and Quinn in Illinois. While the president is ramping up his campaign appearances in the run-up to the elections, he is stumping mostly for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in deep blue states.