A detailed study of undecided voters this election shows they are largely from the demographics that would normally support the Democratic candidate, but have so far apparently resisted choosing Hillary Clinton, Politico reports.
This means that despite Clinton's consistent advantage in the polls since the national conventions in July, this bloc of voters has the potential to make the difference on election day.
Most of the undecideds are independents, which is not unusual, but what does make this election cycle out of the ordinary is the overwhelmingly negative opinion they have of both candidates.
An in-depth study by Politico of the various recent polls shows that 73 percent of the undecideds are independents, while 16 percent are Republicans and 11 percent Democrats.
Younger voters are disproportionately among those who are undecided. Although this also is in line with previous elections, President Barack Obama managed to attract much larger numbers of this demographic than Clinton has so far, thus cutting into her advantage over Republican candidate Donald Trump in this area.
In fact, Clinton's unfavorable rating among younger voters is 60 percent, while only 31 percent say they have a favorable opinion of her, according to Politico.
The Wall Street Journal points out that in its poll, about a third of Clinton supporters say they are not really satisfied with the candidate, and 40 percent of those backing Trump say the same about the Republican nominee.
This indicates that the pool of undecided might be even larger than what the official polling indicates.
Strengthening that case is a recent Quinnipiac University survey which showed that in the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, 40 percent of Clinton supporters say their opposition to Trump, rather than their satisfaction with her, is the main reason for their vote.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.