Civitas releases poll of independent voters

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The election could come down to one group that is not represented at either the DNC or RNC.

The Civitas Institue recently conducted a poll among unaffiliated voters. These are voters who can swing the election in either direction.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have their work cut out for them when it comes to winning the Independent vote in North Carolina. According to a recent Civitas poll of unaffiliated voters, each would get 45% of the vote if an election was held today.

“They are the Holy Grail of the voters. If you look at both parties, they are competing for what they call the Independents, the unaffiliated, and there are still a good number of these people who have not expressed an opinion yet with which way they’re going,” Civitas President Francis De Luca said.

De Luca revealed the results today. At a glance, when it comes to state government, voters think the economy and jobs should be a top priority.

Gov. Bev Perdue’s support has fallen sharply, while the numbers look good for Pat McCrory. His challenger, Walter Dalton, isn’t seen quite as favorably.

“What we saw was, while it may not be as conservative leaning and what might be perceived as Republican leaning as back in 2010, the unaffiliated voters are still leaning more towards Republicans than they were towards Democrats,” De Luca said.

“After seeing these polls I see it as very important. The unaffiliated voters apparently play a bigger role than most of us realize,” said local resident Ann Hilburn.

De Luca says when it comes to November, based on this poll alone, Republicans have the edge.