Non-voters prefer Obama, poll finds
WASHINGTON - In a race that is expected to come down to a tiny margin of votes in a handful of swing states, more than 80 million eligible Americans will sit out this year’s presidential election.
These potential voters could make all the difference for President Barack Obama - a new survey shows they overwhelmingly support the president over Republican rival Mitt Romney - but they won’t vote for him, even though a majority acknowledge that politics makes a difference in their lives.
A Suffolk University-USA Today survey found that 43 percent of unregistered Americans and 43 percent of registered voters who are unlikely to make it to the polls in November would choose Obama if they were to cast a ballot. Just 14 percent of unregistered Americans and 20 percent of registered but unlikely voters said the same of Romney.
These Americans are not likely to make their voices heard on Election Day because they are paying attention to other things and don’t have faith in the process. Sixty-one percent could not correctly name the current vice president.
Seventy-nine percent think the federal government plays an important role in their lives, but 59 percent say they don’t pay much attention to politics because “nothing ever gets done - it’s a bunch of empty promises,” and 54 percent say they don’t pay much attention because politics “is so corrupt.”
