"I'm not voting on issues. If I were voting on issues, I'd tally them up and figure out who came closest to my position on the specific issues. What I'm looking for is leadership, character. And I haven't decided which candidate brings the strength of character and the ability to lead in hard times that I think will be absolutely mandatory for the next four years."
- Anson Burlingame, 66, Joplin, Mo.

"I've listened to (Alaska Gov. Sarah) Palin, and I like a lot of her ideas. I think she knows what she's doing. She has a plan and knows how she is going to go about doing it."
- Jennifer Housel, 35, Jefferson, Ohio

"We've had a lot of women do good jobs on a lot of different things. But Sarah Palin? I look at her as maybe good for the state of Alaska, but her running the United States? I don't think so. I don't think she's ready. Not because she's a woman, I don't think she has the expertise."
- Sandy Quarles, 72, Kokomo, Ind.

"I don't know what the country really needs, to tell you the truth. So many disasters here in the United States, and we're trying to take care of people all over the world when we don't have the money."
- Betty Arter, 69, Ottumwa, Iowa

"At first, my daughters say, 'Mommy, Mommy! Obama, Obama!' Then later, they are, 'Mommy! McCain, McCain!"
- Rosa Calderon, 41, Ottumwa, Iowa, who became a sworn American citizen on July 4 and whose daughters - ages 10, 11 and 22 - diligently watch campaign coverage to help their mother choose

"I want to know what is going to help my family, especially in Michigan, because Michigan is the worst. I want to know what they are going to do to get jobs here and stay here and help the automotive industry. Are they going to help them out here, so we can keep jobs here?"
- Kimberly McKerchie, 29, Traverse City, Mich., who is leaning toward supporting Democratic nominee Barak Obama, especially since Republican Sen. John McCain announced he is ceasing his Michigan campaign to devote those resources elsewhere

"One of the biggest reasons I want to vote for Obama is that he is not a white male. I am not opposed to white males and would not vote for him if I didn't agree in part with some of his policies. But I also think this is a historic opportunity. It is time we move beyond race, religion and gender in selecting our president. It is time as a country that we focus on qualifications and character."
- Barb Larson Taylor, 37, St. Peter, Minn.

"I'm currently undecided because neither candidate's views and philosophies have really sold me. I think they're both, in some aspects, more negative than positive with a lot of things. I think we need concrete answers."
- Duane Roberts, 29, Johnstown, Pa.

"I think the role the president has is less about the things he does than the environment he creates, the optimism. He's going to have to deal with business in general. He will have to look at what drives the economy. He's going to have to deal with it. It's very obvious that America is stressed. If he doesn't deal with the emotional status of Americans, then people will not spend money. Whoever is elected needs to be a leader."
- Kimberly Pacocha, 45, Chester, N.H.