Undecided US Voters Disclose Their Final Presidential Choices

Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are engaged in an exceptionally close contest for the White House. Both candidates are actively seeking every vote, with “persuadable” Americans considered especially crucial. The BBC has engaged with voters who remained undecided for various reasons throughout the campaign. A follow-up was conducted with these individuals just prior to election day, revealing that while a majority had made their choice, some continued to be undecided. One voter, Felicity, indicated her intention to vote for either Harris or Trump, stating she would make her final decision upon entering the ballot booth. Felicity, who cast her vote for Trump in 2020, expressed continued indecision regarding supporting the former president again. She stated, “I have no freaking clue man. It’s so hard. When I voted for Trump, it came down to who would I trust with my kid alone and it wasn’t [President Joe] Biden. I’m still undecided. All of my family is voting for Kamala and my friends are voting for Trump.I’m going to vote for one of them. I’ve got no idea which one. I’m still super-duper undecided. I think I’m leaning toward Kamala over Trump, if I think about who I would trust alone in a room with my daughter.I’m going to make up my mind when I go into the ballot booth.” Jeremy, who has expressed a dislike for Trump and did not vote Democrat in either 2016 or 2020, ultimately voted for Harris following what he described as intense rhetoric during the current campaign cycle. He commented, “Especially having seen what’s transpired over the course of the last two weeks, I think it’s moved from a fear of an erratic prideful person to the actions of someone that [if elected president] I truly would worry for the future of American political discourse.In the rhetoric from that Madison Square Garden [event] – and I know they’re technically not [Trump] but his campaign chose them, they had to pre-vet the speeches – someone literally called Kamala Harris the anti-Christ. I feel OK about voting for Kamala. It’s probably not the proudest vote I’ve ever cast, but I do feel like she’s at the very least a level-headed person who will surround herself with other level-headed people who I would trust.” Tracy, who had been impressed by Harris after her television debate with Trump but remained undecided, ultimately chose not to vote for either Harris or Trump. She stated, “I have definite plans of who I’m going to vote for, but I can’t tell you the candidate’s name because I don’t know the candidate’s name. I’m voting for a third party. Hopefully that [candidate] is an adult. I’m not happy with either of our [major] presidential candidates. I know the third-party candidate doesn’t stand a chance to get in. It’s just to send a signal to Washington that I’m not playing their game and if they want me to vote Democratic or Republican, they better put somebody in there with brains.One of them is a bully who wants to own the country and the other one wants to give the whole thing away.” Vanessa, who had been impressed by Harris earlier in the campaign, has now decided to support Trump. She explained, “I believe that the immigration issue has not been fixed during the Biden presidency. So I am looking for a change. Kamala is trying to run on a “change” platform, but it is difficult for her to do so when she is coming from the same administration. I haven’t heard her talk about much of a plan. I believe Trump has surrounded himself with competent leaders such as Tulsi [Gabbard], RFK, and [JD] Vance. I don’t hear Kamala address any of the above issues. She is not an eloquent orator – and does not seem to have much of a plan to improve our country.” William, who was initially impressed by Harris’s debate performance, now believes she has shifted too far to the right on policy matters. He intends to vote for the Green Party’s Jill Stein. William stated, “Since the debate, I’ve really seen [Harris] take a more neo-con war stance. So Liz Cheney, John Bolton, these are the people she’s going around touring with and doing campaign events with, and if you look at their geo-political history, they’re really hawkish when it comes to Iran. And that’s just a position I cannot get behind at this point, given our problems in America. I’m going to be putting America first, and when we’re talking about people who are actively promoting that, they’re going to be sending arms and funds to these foreign nations that don’t have our interests at heart. That’s just a core conviction of mine, that we need to reinvest those funds into America.” Jessi, who voted for Biden in 2020, had been considering a third-party candidate this year and has now decided to vote for Jill Stein. She explained, “My mind would have been changed to maybe vote for Harris if I had heard more from her that was substantial.Nothing she said, I felt, throughout the campaign really sounded like it had any substance, and there were some key issues I don’t support her position on.I would say the same for Trump, so I’m going to stick with third party.If enough voters in swing states decided to go third party, Democrats and Republicans would have to realise they have to choose candidates who we can support.” Chance, who had previously been unimpressed with both major candidates, has since decided to vote for Harris. He cited Trump’s remarks concerning the Puerto Rican community during a rally as a factor, stating, “After Trump went after the Puerto Rican community during one of his rallies, I thought that was very inappropriate. I felt like that was something he shouldn’t have done, especially when running for election. It will be good to see, if [Harris] does become president, how she does, and [to] have our first female president. I hope elections in the future are less aggressive and become more of a debate instead of a fight.” In September, Mat informed the BBC that Harris “very likely” had his vote; however, he ultimately submitted a blank ballot for president. He explained, “I ended up casting an empty ballot for president. It was tough but I felt like no candidate really offered any policy that resonated with me. It didn’t feel like any candidate offered anything that was very substantial. I don’t think Kamala’s plans broke away from what Joe Biden has been doing so far and Trump made some claims that he would resolve the conflict without actually specifying what he would do. A lot of times, [Trump] makes several big claims and then never follows up on them. I’m still waiting for Mexico to pay for that border wall.” As election day approached, BBC Voter Voices continued to gather perspectives from Americans nationwide regarding their priorities. The BBC invited American voters interested in participating to apply for potential inclusion in future stories. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.