2012 Decoded

As if juggling simultaneous campaigns in more than a dozen swing states wasn't complicated enough. Now, top strategists for President Obama and the eventual Republican nominee will have to contend with a new variable: The possibility that a third-party candidate will attract voters interested in a new way of doing business.

That's the goal of Americans Elect, the independent organization that hopes to nominate a third-party candidate through an internet convention. The group has prepared for their eventual nominee, gaining ballot access in 17 states and gathering signatures or awaiting certification in 18 more. Those include some of the most important swing states in the country -- Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio and New Mexico have already certified Americans Elect's spot, while certification is pending in North Carolina.

So who's going to benefit from Americans Elect's work? And could they be putting their thumbs on the scale for one of their own?