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Yes, some voters are still undecided
The stage is set prior to the second presidential debate to be held at the David Mack Center at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., Oct. 16, 2012. As Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama prepare to meet again for tonight's second presidential debate, they'll face not only the moderator and each other, but undecided voters.
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As Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama prepare to meet again for tonight's second presidential debate, they'll face not only the moderator and each other, but local undecided voters.
Frank Newport is the editor-in-chief at Gallup and, as it turns out, is responsible for picking the voters who get seated at the debate. When voters in the area around the venue answer Gallup's questions, the pollsters are on the lookout for people who haven't yet made up their mind about the top of the ticket. Some of those uncommitted voters are invited to attend the debate and ask questions.
And while some might worry that these voters will use the airtime as their personal soapbox, Newport says that's rarely the case.
"A lot of people are very worried that these people are going to ask bizarre questions, you know, 'My sister was abducted by a UFO, Mr. President,'" Newport says.
Instead, we're more likely to hear questions about domestic and foreign policy, chosen ahead of time by moderator Candy Crowley and her CNN production team.
Also, turns out that the basic profile of the undecided voter hasn't changed significantly since the '90s.
"They tend to be more white than average," Newport said. "And they tend to be a little more middle-aged and older."
And just three weeks to Election Day, Newport insists some voters really have not yet made up their minds. "It could be as many in our data as 1 out of 5, who are maybe leaning one way or the other."
Both campaigns will be watching closely tonight to see if their candidate can move that needle.
I'm so insulted by this constant meme of "how can you be undecided?!" followed by a ridiculous look of surprise. I'm undecided for a reason: Neither candidate is perfect for me or my future. One works for my social issues, another leads on economic issues, neither inspire me that they will do a great job. Obama didn't offer any specifics on his next four years, while Romney promised the moon, stars, and planet Venus (much like Obama did in 2008, to wit) that things will improve with him in the Oval Office. Sorry, neither convinced me, and I'm not alone. In fact, the only people I know who are decided are those party hacks who vote for the same party year and year even if Satan himself is running.
Undecided? Uncommitted? Seriously? How the bleep could anyone be undecided at this point? Obama and Romney are as different as they can be and still be mainstream candidates. Their values and ideologies are starkly different. So, what are these people thinking? It must be something like this: “Romney did better than Obama in the first debate, but I liked Obama’s tie better than Romney’s. But who knows? I might like Romney’s shoes better than Obama’s this time. We’ll see.” Seriously, though, are these people so easily swayed back and forth that they can’t make up their minds? Will their vote depend on which party’s yard sign or bumper sticker is the last they see before entering the voting booth? I say, if they show up at the polls, just give them a coin to flip. Oh, but then we’ll need observers from each party to make sure the coins are evenly weighted. Never mind.
So what evidence does Mr. Newport have for claiming that "as many as one in five" potential voters could be persuaded to change their mind? Has there been a study?
I would prefer that Mr. Newport stick to facts that are discovered or verified via his polls, and not confuse us with speculation that is not supported. And Kai should consider questioning Newport's statements when they are clearly speculative.
I'm tending to agree with AMR.
Based purely from empirical evidence in my real world, I know of nobody who isn't already decided on this election... not my religious farm-family sister in Iowa or my liberal retired-teacher sister in California or my rich-and-wants-to-keep-his-money Republican brother in Arizona or me, a displaced Democrat living in Alaska.
Who are these alleged "undecideds" and how the hell can they still be undecided after a process that has sucked the air out of the political climate for the past two years? Only someone living on Mars could still be unsure about the candidates and he won't get his absentee ballot here in time.
