Poll: Intermittent voters critical
2006-10-18
Source: Seattly Post-Intelligencer
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They mean to take the time and go to the polls, but politics is an afterthought and they never get around to voting. These intermittent voters account for about one in five in the country, according to an Associated Press-Pew poll.
These voters share some attributes with more consistent voters. They have the same sense of duty and feel guilty when the election goes by and they didn't vote. Those elements make them a bloc of untapped voters in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, when turnout is critical.
Other characteristics of these voters: They are less economically well-off than regular voters, less educated and definitely not as politically savvy.
Intermittent voters are less likely to be strong supporters of any party. Only 38 percent of intermittent voters say there is a great deal of difference in what the parties stand for, compared with 47 percent of regular voters.
"I try to vote every time, but I'm more likely to know enough about a presidential election and I'm more likely to vote in a presidential election," said Perry Marlette, a 24-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., woman working as a nanny. "I'm getting into a pattern of being a voter every time. I'm educating myself more."
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