For five of the past six weekends, I have been going door-to-door for my candidate of choice. When I knock on voters’ doors, the first question I ask is, “Have you decided who you will be supporting on November 4th?” To my surprise, many voters remain undecided. As late as Saturday, two of the 25 voters I spoke with were undecided. For those of us who are out knocking on doors, emptying our wallets, and losing sleep, this may seem unbelievable. But it is real.

Some of you may be wondering, “How can anyone be undecided at this point?” The undecided voters I have spoken with have given many reasons. Here are a few that I have heard multiple times.

  • Cynicism – Some voters see the choice between candidates as the lesser of two evils. These voters often mention how many campaign promises end up being broken. They tend not to trust politicians in general.
  • Political identity is shifting – I have most often seen this among traditionally Republican voters who are upset with the way the Republican Party has been running this country for the past eight years. The economic crisis, two ongoing wars, and record deficit spending are on these voters’ minds. These voters have supported a political party that they are increasingly convinced is undermining our beloved country
  • Legitimate concerns about both candidates – Many voters I have spoken with have expressed misgivings about both candidates that many die-hard supporters conveniently overlook. Whether some people want to admit it or not, all of the candidates running for President are real people with real flaws. These voters are different from the cynical voters because they genuinely believe that their vote matters and that politics can be positive; they just are not satisfied with their choices.

In addition to these perspectives, I have heard undecided voters speak about the limitations of the two party system, issues overlooked by the candidates, and the potential imbalance of power between Congress and the Administration.

In my opinion, all of these concerns are legitimate reasons to deliberate. But in the end, you either vote for someone or you do not vote at all. After patiently listening to undecided voters for the past six weeks, I am relieved that their time is up. By the end of tomorrow there will be no such thing as an undecided voter.

Tomorrow, each of the persons I spoke with, and millions more, will all be using that great equalizer: our one vote. It is a little terrifying, a little exciting, and completely real. I know many of you may have trouble sleeping tonight. Maybe this will help you rest: Of the hundreds of voters I have spoken to, only one said they have not really been following this election. This country is engaged. This country cares. This country is weighing its choices… carefully.

About the Author
Adam Gerhardstein

Comments

  1. Tyrone

    Obama and McCain are fundamentally the same and pretend to have vastly different policies. For me the issue is same-sex marriage because for me the only true and constitutional vote is the Baldwin /Castle ticket, however their platform includes a band on gay marriage.

    Has everyone left the Constitution? Even the Constitution party? I mean the Libertarians profess that the only limit on freedom is that which harms or infringes upon another’s rights. So, in effect the Constitution party is standing for the Constitution except that part about pursuit of happiness (by all). How can you wave the flag of freedom when you neglect to let other’s wave that same flag?

    Obama’s foreign policy advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski has claimed provoking the Soviet Afghan war which killed 1 million Afghans, and Zbigniew also professed involvement in supporting Pol Pot which led to the death of over 2 million Cambodians through torture, starvation and forced labor. Zbigniew’s son is the advisor for John McCain.

    This family is the founding family along with the Rockefellers, of the Trilateral Commission. Rockefellers of course are the founders of the Federal Reserve scam and the Council on Foreign Relations; from which, along with the Trilateral Commission, all Presidential candidates or their advisors have come from in the last 50 years. This year presidential candidates of which were CFR members include: Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson. Those where were not: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich; remember all the noise about these two being disregarded by the Main Stream Media?

    Connect the dots: Federal Reserve…Rockefellers… Brzezinski…both major parties (Rupublicrates)…bailout for the banks…Obama and McCain voted for…Main Stream Media says nothing…Federal Reserve Scam wins the election again.

    The true liberty vote is the Constitution party (Bob Barr, L, is a CIA asset and has lied about his involvement with the CIA, though it is public record), however it is only a liberty vote for heterosexuals. This is not the land of the free for the rest, apparently.

    If the Boston Tea Party candidate, Charles Jay were on the ballot in Idaho (where I live) that is who I would vote for. I voted for Nader in 2000, though enough evidence of Sun spots had turned the debate on global warming like mud on Al Gore’s face that Nader should, as smart as he is, know better. Nader also supports forced charity through another crime of 1913 (the income tax) that I could not vote for him, now that I know that the Income Tax was imposed, the same year as the Federal Reserve Act in order to pay for the interest on the money we would owe to the Federal (Private) Reserve.

    That is right: the True Liberty and Unitarian Universalist vote is for Charles Jay, Boston Tea Party, a true constitutionalists, freedom fighter, and equal rights supporter of even homosexuals.

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