At this stage in an election campaign it’s getting difficult for me to relate to “undecided” voters. Why can’t they, or don’t they, make up their minds? What are they waiting for?
As far as I can tell, there are two primary reasons. They are either:
- Extremely wishy washy and want to “open-minded” rather than make a commitment, or they
- Just don’t care about politics in general, and don’t want to invest much time or effort into making a decision
I was amused by a CNN segment I saw last night on undecided women voters. A reporter showed up as they had a debate-watching party.
“What are you looking to see, to help you decide?” the reporter asked.
A couple of women said they were looking for the candidates to offer specific proposals to help them with their problems, rather than general talking points.
After the debate several of the undecideds expressed disappointment because the candidates did not get “specific” enough.
I’m not sure why these women seemed surprised by this. The candidates talk in simplistic terms, among other reasons, because they are trying to appeal to voters who can’t make up their minds. If they were to throw a boatload of statistics at a marginally-interested voter, the viewer would simply turn away in boredom.
Note to the undecided women: if you really want to know more details on what the candidates are proposing, you simply have to visit their websites. It’s really not that difficult. Otherwise, stop blaming the candidates because you can’t make up your mind.