Late voters bankrupt for Trump in 2020 and 2016with some analysts and strategists in both campaigns crediting late decision makers for electing Trump eight years ago.

How someone can still be undecided a week before a critical election may be difficult for Trump or Harris supporters to understand. But these latter decision makers have their reasons for delaying.

Most are unhappy with their ballot options and the state of the country in general. They feel conflicted, especially over Trump, with cross-pressures on different policies and their impressions of candidates pulling them in opposite directions. Many pay little attention to politics and say they have not had time to research and reflect. And some say they wait until they are in their electoral district to decide.

Here’s what they told NBC News about how they plan to make their decisions.

Who is still undecided?

Some voters who are still undecided said they need to learn more about the candidates’ policies.

Eric Bush, a Florida systems administrator, said he is waiting until he is in the voting booth to make his final decision. Despite not voting in 2020, he said he will vote this year.

“I’m extremely fiscally conservative,” Bush said, noting his focus on taxes. “But socially I am extremely liberal. But at the same time, I don’t believe in making laws to enforce my beliefs or my positions.”

Another Connecticut voter also said he needs to do more research. But he said his most important focus is the economy and not social issues.

“I don’t really care what people do in terms of social issues like abortion and smoking marijuana, like doing it,” said the voter, who declined to share his name. He said he wants to focus on “understanding the policy, not the person.”

More than one undecided voter had unpleasant news for the Trump and Harris campaigns: There’s not much the candidates can do to influence them.

“There’s nothing they can say to make me part of their team,” said Deshaun Hall, a 38-year-old poet from Pennsylvania who describes himself as “African American.”

“When I enter the booth, the question will be more: Do I look for a path that can help me more financially? Or will I help other people more financially? “That would be my decision at this moment,” he added.

Hall is attracted to small-government Republican principles and could potentially support Trump, noting that he believes voting for Trump could help him financially. But he is still considering endorsing Harris, recognizing that a vote for Harris could lead to bigger government policies that could help others.

“I’ve never heard her say anything on TV that seemed crazy,” Hall said. “But the side effect is that you don’t feel like you know who she is.”

Choose a side

While some voters are still undecided, others have made up their minds in recent weeks.

One man, a federal employee who did not want to share his name, said he is almost certain he will vote for Harris. He said he is “fed up with partisan politics” and is less enthusiastic about the Trump campaign’s message, saying the former president is not focused on unity.

“We are a very diverse nation. We have many ideas. “We have a lot of people here and I fundamentally believe that all of those voices have a place at the table and should be considered,” he said. “Majority rule is not always the wisest in terms of good decisions, so I’m really looking for a candidate who is able to work constructively, more or less on the other side of the spectrum.”

On the other side is Helen Peppas, a 74-year-old Republican from Idaho, who said she debated for weeks whether or not to vote for her party’s candidate. “God helped me make that decision,” he said. He ultimately endorsed Trump despite concerns about his actions after the 2020 election, describing him as a “spoiled brat.”

“I don’t like the man, but I feel like he did more for us when he was around before,” he said. “So I’m praying that he has a better mentality and doesn’t act as stupidly as he did before.”

Another voter who did not want to give his name or share his vote choice said his decision depended on which candidate could make the biggest change.

He said that Harris struggling to name something she would have done something else than Biden, which left him “incredibly worried.”

“Trump says, ‘I’m going to do the same thing I did when I was in office.’ Kamala says, ‘I’m going to do exactly what Biden was doing,'” the voter said, then added, “That’s the worst. The last thing I want to hear is more of the same from the last eight years.”

Choosing door number 3: neither Harris nor Trump

Other late voters said they never chose Trump or Harris for one simple reason: They can’t stand voting for Trump or Harris, and instead plan to support third-party candidates, write on someone else’s behalf, or simply stay put. home.

Rachel Naiziurski, a 37-year-old independent voter from Western New York, said she will vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“I understand that nationally Trump would be worse for women here and personally for my beliefs here,” she said. “But I cannot stop financing this genocide.” Naiziurski added that she might feel more compelled to support Harris if she lived in a swing state.

A voter from Amarillo, Texas, said he plans to vote for Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, who he believes would be closer to “succeeding” in his political goals, although he does not expect him to win.

The Texan, who asked not to be identified, said he aligns with Trump on most issues, including support for gun rights, but feels he can’t vote for the former president after Trump “gave him the back” to then-Vice President Mike Pence. and other Republicans during the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.

“I cast my vote for (Oliver) because I cannot, in good faith, vote for the other two,” he said.

Rob Czaplewski, a 54-year-old Republican from Nebraska, plans to write another name for president, probably former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, who endorsed Trump after calling him unfit for office when she ran against him in the Republican primary.

“I see a lot of people who I guess are doing exactly the opposite of me. “They’re trying to pick the two lesser evils… But I just don’t feel like I want to pick the two lesser evils,” he said. “I want to pick someone I would have actually voted for, like Nikki Haley or Marco Rubio.”

Czaplewski said he never voted for Trump, described the former president as “unprofessional” and “undiplomatic” and said “conspiracy theories seem to drive his politics.” But he also couldn’t support Harris because he disagrees with her on politics, especially on social issues and immigration.

He said there was probably nothing Trump or Harris could say in the final days of the race to change his mind.

“I know I’m wasting it, wasting my vote,” Czaplewski said. “But at least I can say I never voted for Trump.”