WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
The dust from political conventions has settled, and poll boosts for Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are starting to wane.
The GOP convention gave Romney a 1 percent increase in the polls, said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida professor of political science. President Obama saw a 4 to 6 percent increase after the Democratic National Convention.
New polls are already showing those increases diminish, she said. She attributed the fluctuation to independent voters, many of whom are young and swayed by media coverage.
However, there are fewer undecided voters in the 2012 election than any other.
“[Democrats and Republicans are] going to have to campaign heavily toward their base and make sure people leaning in their direction and say that they’re for them get out and vote,” she said.
Both parties have opened more satellite offices in Florida, she said. They have also recruited more volunteers.
The different in poll ratings between Romney and the president is still within the margin of error, she said. The two candidates are essentially tied.
“Polls are not able to predict turnout,” she said.
Katherine Hahn edited this story online.
