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GREENSBORO - Nathan Steele's brothers might not like it, but he didn't cast a vote for president Tuesday.

For Steele, who moved this week to Greensboro from Michigan, politics is just not a passion. He said he just didn't feel comfortable enough with how much he know about the candidates to cast a vote.

"I get (complained) at a lot by my brothers," he said, "but I don't follow politics at all."
Despite all the election hoopla, Steele is not alone.

Certainly, we've heard plenty - more than enough, some would say - about why voters prefer John McCain or Barack Obama, Democrats or Republicans, bonds or no bonds.

But what about those who, even in the face of a blizzard of political ads, infinite talk radio hot air and constant pronouncements that voting is a Sacred Civic Duty, still choose none of the above?

What motivates - or doesn't - that increasingly elusive political species, the nonvoter?
There's no single answer.

Some cite the old line about having to choose between two evils, perhaps in an effort to pass the onus of not voting from themselves to the shortcomings of the candidates.

Some are skeptical about the difference government can make in their lives, perhaps because they haven't seen much tangible evidence of the changes a power shift can bring.

For younger voters who don't get Social Security checks, don't get the mortgage deduction and don't pay huge amounts of income taxes, government can be an abstraction.

And, finally, some intend to vote, but miss deadlines. The dog ate my registration, you might say.

A study done earlier in the decade by professors at Northwestern University found that most people who didn't vote had a simple reason - they weren't registered.

Of course, that begs the question of why they weren't registered in the first place. Other reasons cited by voters included not liking the candidates or a lack of interest in politics.
Generally, but not always, nonvoters are younger, less educated and less affluent than voters, according to the study.

For Cheryl Hall of High Point, not voting came down to a busy work schedule that took her out of town in recent weeks. Hall, who moved here from New York, had planned to update her registration, but time ran out before she could.

"It's been kind of hectic," she said.

William Cain of Greensboro said he's not a fan of McCain or Obama - or, for that matter, only having two real choices.

"I don't like either one," he said. "I would have voted for Nader, but that's just flushing a vote down the toilet."

UNCG student Kristen Armstrong cited work and school duties for missing the registration deadline.

"I was like, 'Oh, whoops,'" she said.

But she also didn't really fall in love with a candidate. With the right one, she might have voted, she said.

Mainly, she's ready for the election to be over.

Without cable TV and with a set that only brings in one channel, she can't really switch away from the political ads.

"I'm going to be glad when they're done," she said. "Everyone I work with is like 'Thank God, today's the day.'"

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com