The eventual undecided voters could influence the election. They are not crazy about choice.

Typically, delays are frowned upon, but in closely divided presidential elections, voters who put off making a decision until the last minute could gain the power to decide the country’s future.

Both campaigns and their outside allies have spent millions of dollars finding and reaching the relative handful of dawdlers, late deciders, and truly torn voters who still haven’t decided how (or whether) to cast their ballots—precious needles in the giant haystack of the American electorate, which often has little interest in being influenced by political campaigns and has major problems with one or both major parties.

The ranks of those left behind are shrinking rapidly. In NBC News’ national survey from early OctoberOnly 4% of registered voters said they did not want to make a choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. When NBC News contacted 40 of them again this week, 17 agreed to interviews and only five said they were still undecided.

Of those who have made up their minds since the survey three weeks ago, seven said they are voting for a third candidate or plan to write a different name. Two declined to share who they plan to vote for. One said they plan to vote for Trump, another said they will probably vote for Harris, and another plans not to vote at all.

Let voters decide broke for Trump-in 2020 And 2016with some analysts And strategists in both campaigns crediting late decision makers for electing Trump eight years ago.

How anyone can still be undecided a week after a crucial election may be difficult for supporters of Trump or Harris to fathom. But these late decision makers have their reasons for dragging their feet.

Most are dissatisfied with their voting options and with the state of the country in general. They feel conflicted, especially about Trump, because there are cross-pressures on other policies and their impressions of the candidates pulling them in opposite directions. Many pay little attention to politics and say they have not had time for research and reflection. And some say they’re waiting until they get to their voting precincts 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 say they need to know more about the candidates’ policies.

Eric Bush, a systems administrator from Florida, said he will wait until he gets to the voting booth to make his final choice. Despite not voting in 2020, he said he will vote this year.

“I’m extremely conservative on a fiscal level,” Bush said, noting his focus on taxes. “But socially I am extremely liberal. But at the same time, I don’t believe in laws that should enforce my beliefs or my views.”

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

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

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

“There’s nothing they can say to get me on their team,” says Deshaun Hall, a 38-year-old self-described “African American” poet from Pennsylvania.

“When I step into the booth, it would be more about: Am I going to go in a way that can help me more financially? Or am I going to help other people more financially? That would be my decision at this point,” he added.

Hall is drawn to Republican small-government principles and could potentially support Trump, noting that a vote for Trump could help him financially. But he is still considering supporting Harris, recognizing that a vote for Harris could lead to greater public policy that could help others.

“I’ve never heard her say anything on TV that seems crazy,” Hall said. “But the side effect of that is 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 “tired of partisan politics” and less enthusiastic about the Trump campaign’s message, saying the former president is not focused on unity.

“We are a very diverse country. We have a lot of ideas. We have a lot of people here, and I fundamentally believe that all of these voices are at the table and should be taken into account,” he said. “Majority rule is not always the wisest thing when it comes to good decisions, and that is why I am really looking for a candidate who can work constructively, on the other side of the aisle.”

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

“I don’t like the guy, but I feel like he did more for us when he was there before,” she said. “So I pray that he will have a better mentality and not act as stupidly as before.”

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

That’s what he told Harris difficulty naming something she would have done differently than Biden left him “incredibly concerned.”

“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 did,” the voter said, later adding, “That’s the worst. The last thing I want to hear is more of the same from the last eight years.”

Choosing Door No. 3: Neither Harris nor Trump

Other late-deciding voters said they never chose Trump or Harris for one simple reason: They can’t bear to vote for Trump or Harris, and they plan to support third-party candidates instead , write in someone else’s name or just stay. At home.

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

“I understand that Trump would be worse domestically for women here and personally for my beliefs here,” she said. “But I can’t get over 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 come closest to “success” in his policy goals — even though he doesn’t expect him to win.

The Texan, who declined to be named, said he is aligned with Trump on most issues, including supporting gun rights, but feels he cannot vote for the former president after losing then- Vice President Mike Pence has ‘turned his back’. and other Republicans during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

“I voted 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 the president, likely former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has endorsed Trump after scorching him as unfit for office when she ran into him in the GOP primaries.

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

Czaplewski said he has never voted for Trump. He described the former president as “unprofessional” and “undiplomatic” and said “conspiracy theories appear to be driving his policies.” But he also couldn’t support Harris because he disagrees with her on policy, especially on social issues and immigration.

He said there is likely nothing Trump or Harris can say in the final days of the race to change minds.

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