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Wake us when it gets good, our undecided voters say By Dani Dodge Judging by their yawns, several Rogue Valley undecided voters haven�t awakened to the fact there�s a furious presidential campaign erupting right over their somnambulant heads. The voters being followed by the Mail Tribune didn�t read anything about Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney�s visit to Medford last week, let alone try to ask him a policy question. They didn�t drive up to Portland to see Green Party candidate Ralph Nader address 10,000 Oregonians last week, nor did they try to get a peek at Vice President Al Gore when he visited Eugene Wednesday. They didn�t even tune into the Democratic convention. "I probably won�t delve into it too much until the pamphlets start coming in the mail," said Matthew Beeson, a 19-year old nonaffiliated Talent man. Beeson is one of six undecided voters who have agreed to let the Mail Tribune follow their decision-making during the campaign season. Among the group are two registered Republicans, two Democrats and two nonaffiliated voters. They range in age from 19 to 76. (Only five of the six were available for this story.) State polls show Democratic candidate Al Gore and Republican nominee George W. Bush running neck-and-neck in the state, with Green Party candidate Ralph Nader pulling in 7 percent of the vote. The six fence-sitters in this series were first interviewed in the second week of August. Since then, only two of the six said they�ve done any research on the candidates. None have yet made up their minds. Donna Epstein, 61, of the Applegate said she�s been reading the Mail Tribune daily, The Oregonian a couple times a week and checking the Washington Post on the Web. She�s also been reviewing the candidates� Web sites. She doesn�t watch television. "I narrowed my scope down to some interests near and dear to my heart and I�ve been trying to focus on what Gore and Bush are saying about these issues," said Epstein, a registered Democrat and former steamship company middle manager. "My primary concerns are abortion issues, water and air, endangered species and our environment and national monuments, logging in national forests, education and health care." But she hasn�t been able to ascertain either candidate�s full positions on all her issues, she said. "I�m just as undecided as I was before," she said. "Perhaps the debates will help." Robert Soltz, a lifelong Republican, said he watched Gore�s acceptance speech at the convention, and has been reading as much as he can about the major-party candidates. He�s finding that his thoughts about abortion, education and the estate taxes are more closely aligned with Gore�s positions than Bush�s. He also hasn�t been impressed by Bush�s speeches. "Not to disparage Bush�s intelligence, but he�s used the wrong words in some speeches I�ve heard," Soltz said. "I hate to say it, but if I had to vote tomorrow, I�d probably vote for Gore. ... But, I definitely will keep reading. I keep looking for a reason to vote for (Bush) because I don�t want another four years of a Democrat." But neither Soltz nor Epstein bothered to try to shake Cheney�s hand when he was in town. They said they understood the events were invitation only, except for an airport send-off � where contact and conversation would be minimal. "Window dressing doesn�t impress me," Soltz said. "I�d like to see one come and have a town hall meeting, where they will listen to what people have to say and respond." While Epstein plans on researching Nader�s views to see how they fit in with her own, Soltz dismissed the Green Party candidate as "too radical." The other undecided voters interviewed said they have been too busy to give much thought to the election. Republican Amber Bates, 20, of Medford, started back at Creighton University in Nebraska last week. Bates said that when she gets a spare couple of hours, she�ll log onto the Internet to do her research. "The Web will give me a better basis for an educated decision," she said. "Not that my complete and entire decision will be based on the Web," she said, "because I�ll probably see some news, but I think it will largely make my decision, because I can also check out Nader and you don�t get that on any news shows." Newt Likely, 76, of Jacksonville, said he�s still trying to decide who he likes least, so he can vote for the man�s opponent. The nonaffiliated voter didn�t pay much attention to Cheney�s visit because "he won�t be the guy making decisions." And he didn�t listen to the convention "because (Gore) is just parroting the party line there." He�s been gravely disappointed by what he�s seen of Bush and Gore on television. "McCain � I would have voted for him without any problem � he�d look ya in the eye when he talks," Likely said. "Neither of these two do that. They scratch their noses: That�s a sign of insincerity." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA