The Four Types of Undecided Voters

I am still scratching my head about something. The undecided voters. Who are these people?

Please help me understand who they are and what they're like. Are they the same folks who torture waitresses because they can't decide between the Cesear salad with grilled chicken or the penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes.

"Hmmm....I just don't know. Which do you like?" they ask, as the waitress plasters a smile over her gritted teeth. "Is the pasta garlicky? Do you use olive oil in that or butter? Geez, everything looks so good, how can I decide. Well, ok, I know you're busy, so I'll have the soup....no wait, how about the fish tacos.....well, give me another minute." They call out as the waitress recedes from view. "Gosh, I just don't know."

Meanwhile, you're either developing a migraine or ready to rip the menu out of their hands. It's all you can do to not shout out, "Make up your *#@% mind already, it's just lunch."

Now, some might say that ordering lunch is analogous to the undecided voters, who quite possibly may hold the future of the planet in their hands. For them, the magnitude of the issues make this a momentous election, not just lunch and a much more difficult decision. Is it that they desperately want to make the perfect, correct and right decision, they just can't decide? Or is there more to it?

At this point in the race to the White House, where the two candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, seem to be polar opposites, it's difficult for me to understand how anyone could still be undecided. Like I tell my students at Stanford, put on your CSI detective hat and try to figure it out. So I did a little digging, starting with some academic research on the topic, polled some friends, and then I talked to a few undecided voters.

Turns out, from my cursory look at the topic, there are lots of different kinds of undecided voters. They don't fall neatly into an easily parodied pigeon hole.

Hesitant Mavericks - These are people who have always voted with one party and could never imagine themselves switching to "the other party, ewww", but as the election draws closer, and the race gets more interesting each day, they find their gut is telling them to change allegiances. There's an internal wrestling match going on which leads to indigestion and a new found addiction to Tums.

In a recent issue of Science, Bertram Gawronski and his colleagues discussed these types of undecided voters who demonstrated unconscious preferences before they were able to articulate their choices. It's as if one part of the brain is whispering to the other side that hasn't quite woken up yet. The whispering brain knows full well what it wants to do, and is waiting for the rest of the brain to catch up. The clue phone is ringing and it's for you!

Darth Vader - It is your destiny to vote for........ Maybe not. One undecided voter reminds me of Darth Vader and his struggles with Luke Skywalker. This guy desperately wants to vote a certain way, but feels that he's being drawn back to the "Dark Side" of his family tradition. He visibly cringes when he talks about what would happen if they "ever found out." He's afraid to be honest and come clean. He has a paucity of self-confidence when faced with other choices in life and this one has him all tied up in knots of self-doubt. I think this poor guy needs professional help, but that's another story.

Busy Bees - These are people who are too busy with their lives to make time for the election. They are working hard, commuting long distances, trying to pay the bills, do the laundry and put food on the table. They don't have time to educate themselves about the election and the candidates' positions, but feel overwhelmed and don't need yet another thing on their infinitely long To Do List.

One woman I spoke to from Ohio said that she felt guilty because she knew she should be paying closer attention, but with her work schedule, family commitments on weekends and utter exhaustion, she just couldn't make the time, and it's possible (and I know this is hard to imagine) that she might not even vote. Hmmmm, this got me thinking. Is she representative of huge numbers of the populace who don't show up at the polls?

This might have some basis in research findings. Mitchell S. McKinney, professor of political communication at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who co-wrote Communicating Politics: Engaging the Public in Democratic Life believes that "The bulk of undecideds end up being non-voters....They're conflicted and torn and can't make up their minds."

Amused Cynics - These are people who are fed up to here with all things political and lump all politicians into the same sinking boat. They are likely to say something akin to, "Politicians are all a bunch of ___________" (fill in the blank with a derogatory term). "I don't trust any of them."

Amused cynics are disgusted by the whole election and threw in the towel a long time ago. Another trait that helps you identify them, is their bemused smiles as they look down on all the poor souls who care deeply about the election and are becoming overwrought. It would take something really momentous to get them energized again.

Well, I've spent the better part of 2 days pondering this. There are experts like Betram Gawronski and Mitchell S. McKinney who've spent their careers teasing out the differences. I've probably left out a couple of other types of undecided voters, and would love to know what you think, because I'm still scratching my head on this one.

Comments

[lorenza1]

I think people are undecided for social reasons. They are afraid to let people know who they are voting for because it may not agree with who their friends are voting for and that makes them feel vulnerable. The wanna be in the A-crowd group still has their HS insecurities. You know, the thought process would go something like this" Oh my God, what if I am for Obama, but the A-Team group is for McCain? Will I get invited to their next party? Will I still be invited to pay tennis?....Will they still talk to me at pick up?" These folks are not willing to take the risk publically. It is just too risky. And on top of that, maybe they don't know why they are voting for one versus the other. It can't just be because they like the way one looks, or anything superficial like that. What would that say about them? Not much. Better to just nod your head, don't say much and then after the election, just say when asked, who they voted for say "that is personal for me. I don't like to discuss it." and hope that it all blows over. Phew, you're safe....for now!!!

[Marilou MV]

Anyone undecided should see the movie "W". We have not only wasted our last 8 years, but set ourselves back decades. Anyone undecided at this point is not paying attention. And Barb, your attempt to categorize them is priceless!

[stina26]

Nice article. If a person is undecided I dont think that they should vote because its not a guessing game. I think many are undecided because they dont have time or resources to keep up to date with the news, and what we do hear becomes hard to decipher what is true from made up. So hats off to all of you who know you want to run your lives and your country, I hope its the right one!

[mldeandean]

My in-laws are undecided. I think they have a vague feeling of unease about their inclination to vote with their party as usual, but just can't break old old habits.

[ohiostate]

Great post Barb! We should all be thanking the undecided voters. They are helping to keep the economy from completely collapsing. Think about all of the money that is being spent on them in the form of direct mail, commercials & phone calls. Without them we would really be in trouble.....

[ladydriver]

To be honest, I have a hard time believing that, at this point, there's any such thing as an "undecided" voter. I think that people who claim to be so fall into two categories:

#1: They have decided and don't want to say.

#2: They have decided, but they love the attention they get from everyone falling all over them to win them over.

Just my opinion.

[Ladyvoice]

"The clue phone is ringing and it's for you." HAHAHAAHHA! That's priceless. Fair warning, I'm going to steal that phrase and use it often.

Great piece, Barbara. As you point out, many undecided voters really HAVE decided. They just don't know what to do about it.

[yarwnna]

I do want to add something that has nothing to do with delayed voters but with the messages that each party has given the voters. McCain has given us a message of fear, while Obama's message has been one of hope. McCain has continued the legacy of division, of the "Us vs. Them", while Obama's message has been of unity and peace.
I feel like makin' a peace sign again =)

[shirleen01]

What in the world is there to be undecided about this late in the election..you either make up your mind to vote or not to vote. Stop the drama!

[lorakeet]

I'm always in terested in knowing about the already "disinfranchised," and why they don't vote. Also, related - in basic psychology classes, one studies (or used to anyway, when I was in college!) "locus of control" and whether someone has, generally, an "internal locus of control," or an "external" one. In other words, do you feel that your own actions dictate outcomes, or do things happen because of the outside world and people.
Think about how this relates to voting - do you feel as if your vote will make a difference in either the election outcome and matter in your day-to-day life if nothing you do makes a difference (in your view, anyway)?
Just a thought and a theory - I've never looked into whether research on whether these two are related to what we (those who vote) perceive as apathy.

[cappicola]

I've been wondering who these people are. Seems like you've hit on some of the personality types.

[yarwnna]

I believe that there is a 5th catagory and I am in it. I decided to hold off until this week. I also keep my party affiliation private. I explore and share information as an Independent and in doing so I have found people will make intelligent choices if they are given the oppurtunity to review all solid information. Waiting until this week has gained Obama 11 votes from my circle of friends, here in a red state. So, sometimes it's simply strategy and nothing more than that.