Undecided Voters Not That Important After All

Well HA now you don't have to feel so bad about actually watching the news and having opinions about who the president should be! You, the "decided voter," are actually just as important as the undecideds. This mythical group of undecided dunderheads with a mystical power to sway elections through the force of their procrastinatory ignorance is actually not that important, because they do not tend to break overwhelmingly toward one candidate or the other. Or if they do, there aren't enough of them to really change the picture.

Despite evidence to the contrary, the ability of undecided voters to alter the outcome on Election Day often is overemphasized. In 1988 and 1996, as in 2004, the losing candidate won late deciding voters. And in 1976 and 1992, late deciders roughly split between the two major party nominees.

If by some amazing quirk of fate undecideds end up breaking, say, 2: 1 for McCain, it still won't matter, because at this point John McCain actually needscommitted Obama votersto switch over his side if he's going to win. This will, of course, be difficult, given the cultish devotion Obamatards exhibit toward their love-object.

 Undecideds an unlikely ‘life raft’ for McCain [Politico]

 Today's Polls, 10/29 [FiveThirtyEight]