Poll: Intermittent Voters Critical

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Call them the occasional voters.

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.


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"We are focusing more on voters who voted in 2004 but not in 2002," said Karen Ackerman, political director of the AFL-CIO, which has committed more than $40 million to turning out the vote. "We're putting more emphasis on why this election is important."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_el_ge/who_votes_ap_poll_1