One undecided voter's journey to Election Day

To be an undecided voter in the fall of 2024 is to hold more power than you asked for, especially if you live in a competitive state.

Poll after poll shows the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is close. Most voters knew their choice as soon as the candidates were locked in. Just one percent of likely voters nationwide were undecided in one poll by NPR and Marist from last month. What these voters ultimately choose could tip the balance of the election.

Minnesota Now has been checking in with one undecided voter since the beginning of the year as part of our series of conversations with Gen-Z voters, State of Democra-Z.

Addie Raum grew up in Fargo, N.D., in a family that talked openly about politics. “My dad and I, whenever we have a conversation, it ends up boiling down to a political discussion, no matter what we're talking about,” she said.

Those conversations were part of what inspired her to study political science in college in Minnesota. Now, she’s finally eligible to take the education in civic engagement that began around her family’s dinner table to the ballot box in her first presidential race.

“I should be excited,” she said. But from the start, she told MPR News, this election has been a letdown.

Raum does not like the chaos that she says Donald Trump brings to the White House. As an economic conservative, she has not felt represented by President Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. The political atmosphere surrounding the vote has also disappointed her.

“This election has been filled with hatred, negativity, and polarization,” she said.

There was a point in the election cycle, however, when she found a candidate to believe in. As part of a college class, she worked for former U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley’s campaign for the Republican nomination in New Hampshire.

Since Haley dropped out, Raum has been following the twists and turns of the election closely. But she remained unsure even as her mail-in ballot sat on her desk, ready to be filled out and sent to North Dakota. She talks with MPR News about her journey to casting her vote.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full story.

Feb. 27

On her level of enthusiasm for the 2024 election:

“Are there negative numbers on the scale? It’s just another dumpster fire, right? I'm so pumped that my first presidential election is Option A, which sucks, and Option B, which sucks even more.”

March 6

On reevaluating her vote after her preferred candidate, Nikki Haley, withdrew from the race for the Republican nomination:

“Hands down, Joe Biden. It’s not a hard decision for me. I find Trump’s policies to be not representative of the kind of direction that I want America to go, and also not representative of true conservatism. And it’s obvious to me that Joe Biden is the better choice between the two.”

July 15

On the debate between Biden and Trump and the first attempt on Trump’s life:

“Seeing Biden stare off into space as if he didn’t know where he was just made me worry not about the next four years, but about who’s leading the country right now. And that makes me think that I can’t vote for Biden. It makes me know I can’t vote for Biden.

And Trump’s actions this weekend, seeing him with his fist in the air and blood on his face and being so patriotic, re-instilled a little bit of hope in me that he was someone who would really fight for America, which was something that I thought he wasn’t going to do.

So, right now, I’m kind of unsure. But I mean, the actions over the past two weeks by Donald Trump has put him more in favor for me — and I can’t speak for other people who are Nikki Haley supporters, but that's where I am currently.”

Sept. 11

On the presidential debate between Harris and Trump:

“Trump disappointed me on balance. I thought that he did not conduct himself in a very professional or distinguished manner. And I think I was really reminded of just the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. And with Biden running instead of Kamala, Trump really was content to just sit back and let Biden’s age show. But now that he has an actual candidate against him, he’s, I think, really struggling to get his mind around the fact that he might not win this election.”

Oct. 23

On trying to reach a decision:

“I think that this election for me, considering that the policies I want are kind of out the window, I’m not voting on that anymore. You kind of are in this spot where you’re voting on, what does the future of America look like, and what future does Trump represent, and what future does Harris represent? And do I want to tie my boat to either one of those futures?”

“I’m almost waiting to see, is there any last minute, scandal that’s going to be uncovered, or, what is going to be progress in certain areas. I feel like anything could come out at any moment that could switch it and be like, ‘no, I’m not having that.’ I don’t know. It’s really hard, even like as I talk myself through it out loud, I’m caught in the impossible web of what feels like a very useless decision.”

“Obviously, my vote is not going to be the determining vote. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean anything. It means something to put my trust, to hitch my wagon to someone and to someone’s ideas. And maybe I just totally have what voting is wrong, but to me it matters who I end up voting for. And it’s almost made more difficult by the fact that it doesn’t matter, because then I am not weighing the policy decisions. I’m weighing more like my personal moral implications.”

Nov. 2

On mailing her ballot:

“I desperately want to cast a vote that’s for something: for a vision of America, for a future that I can endorse. Neither options in this election offer me that choice. While I’m not necessarily excited about the results or the process of this election, I have confidence in America — in its institutions, in its systems, and in our people — that one day I’ll be able to cast a vote for something. That I’ll be able to cast a vote for American progress, for the rights of its citizens, and for a vision of America that aligns with the Constitution. I don’t know how fast that will come. I don’t know how fast that will come, but in my lifetime, I know there will be an election where I’m proud to cast my vote.”