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| With Scottish referendum just hours away, thousands still undecided | With Scottish referendum just hours away, thousands still undecided |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| GLASGOW, Scotland — Kelly Anne Howe is absolutely, 100 percent sure that she will vote Thursday in Scotland’s referendum on independence. She’s just not sure which way she’ll go. | |
| The 19-year-old hotel receptionist is worried about health services, business confidence and the future of the pound sterling in an independent Scotland, which tilts her toward voting “no.” But she’s a proud Scot and thinks the British government is too London-centric, which tilts her toward voting “yes.” | The 19-year-old hotel receptionist is worried about health services, business confidence and the future of the pound sterling in an independent Scotland, which tilts her toward voting “no.” But she’s a proud Scot and thinks the British government is too London-centric, which tilts her toward voting “yes.” |
| “I’m more ‘yes’ than ‘no,’ but I don’t know. I wish I had more time,” Howe said. | “I’m more ‘yes’ than ‘no,’ but I don’t know. I wish I had more time,” Howe said. |
| It’s perhaps startling that at this late stage, tens of thousands of Scots still aren’t sure how they will vote in a referendum that could lead to the breakup of the United Kingdom. | It’s perhaps startling that at this late stage, tens of thousands of Scots still aren’t sure how they will vote in a referendum that could lead to the breakup of the United Kingdom. |
| Polls suggest that 8percent to 14 percent of the electorate is unsure whether to answer “yes” or “no” to the question: Should Scotland be an independent country? Voting booths open at 7 a.m. Thursday. | |
| On the eve of the referendum, politicians on both sides of the debate were making desperate pleas to woo over this last sliver of votes, keenly aware that undecided voters could swing the outcome in a race that polls indicate is tight. | On the eve of the referendum, politicians on both sides of the debate were making desperate pleas to woo over this last sliver of votes, keenly aware that undecided voters could swing the outcome in a race that polls indicate is tight. |
| Here in Glasgow, Alistair Darling, the leader of the Better Together campaign fighting to keep Scotland in the union, addressed a rally of supporters, saying, “For anyone in Scotland who has any doubt, be in no doubt you have to say ‘no.’ ” | Here in Glasgow, Alistair Darling, the leader of the Better Together campaign fighting to keep Scotland in the union, addressed a rally of supporters, saying, “For anyone in Scotland who has any doubt, be in no doubt you have to say ‘no.’ ” |
| At a rally in Perth, Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland, said that his “yes” camp was still the underdog and that “this is our opportunity of a lifetime, and we must seize it with both hands.” | |
| Yet, a significant number remain on the fence, prompting the question: What’s left to decide? Haven’t Scots been mulling over independence for two years? Nay, the last 300? | |
| Tom Costley, head of the polling company TNS Scotland, said undecided voters were being “torn between the head and heart,” concerned about the economic risks but yearning for a government with full powers, separate from Westminster. | Tom Costley, head of the polling company TNS Scotland, said undecided voters were being “torn between the head and heart,” concerned about the economic risks but yearning for a government with full powers, separate from Westminster. |
| Stuart Wilson, a 29-year-old financial analyst in Glasgow, said he was still undecided. | Stuart Wilson, a 29-year-old financial analyst in Glasgow, said he was still undecided. |
| “Mostly I’ve been against independence, but in past few weeks I’ve been thinking it’s worth a shot — that’s my heart. Before it was my head saying, ‘It’s just too big a gamble, too big a risk,’ ” he said. | “Mostly I’ve been against independence, but in past few weeks I’ve been thinking it’s worth a shot — that’s my heart. Before it was my head saying, ‘It’s just too big a gamble, too big a risk,’ ” he said. |
| If the sun is to rise Friday morning over an independent Scotland, the “yes” camp needs to win Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. The city appears to be leaning toward “yes,” with the nationalist cause gaining significant ground among working-class voters disillusioned with the status quo. | If the sun is to rise Friday morning over an independent Scotland, the “yes” camp needs to win Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. The city appears to be leaning toward “yes,” with the nationalist cause gaining significant ground among working-class voters disillusioned with the status quo. |
| Pollsters say what is remarkable about the undecided voters is that so many are so certain that they will cast their ballot. Thousands may be indecisive Wednesday, but some time before polls close at 10 p.m. Thursday, they plan to jump off the fence. | Pollsters say what is remarkable about the undecided voters is that so many are so certain that they will cast their ballot. Thousands may be indecisive Wednesday, but some time before polls close at 10 p.m. Thursday, they plan to jump off the fence. |
| Interestingly, more women than men are in the undecided camp. A Survation/Scottish Daily Mail poll found that 12 percent of women were unsure of how they were going to vote, compared with 4.5 percent of men. This could be good news for the “no” side, because polling suggests that women are more likely to be pro-union than men. | Interestingly, more women than men are in the undecided camp. A Survation/Scottish Daily Mail poll found that 12 percent of women were unsure of how they were going to vote, compared with 4.5 percent of men. This could be good news for the “no” side, because polling suggests that women are more likely to be pro-union than men. |
| “Women appear to like to think about things more before making a decision,” said Nicola McEwan, a politics professor at the University of Edinburgh. “We have no way of knowing whether it’s genuine indecision or telling pollsters, ‘Go away, it’s none of your business’ . . . but the undecideds, who are disproportionately women, could absolutely tip the balance.” | “Women appear to like to think about things more before making a decision,” said Nicola McEwan, a politics professor at the University of Edinburgh. “We have no way of knowing whether it’s genuine indecision or telling pollsters, ‘Go away, it’s none of your business’ . . . but the undecideds, who are disproportionately women, could absolutely tip the balance.” |
| McEwan said that one of the big issues for floating voters is that they are “uncomfortable with the choices they have to make,” noting that many Scots would have checked “devo max,” or more powers for their devolved government, if it had been a third option on the ballot paper. And despite pledges from Westminster politicians this week that they will devolve more powers to Scotland if it stays in the union, many have yet to be swayed. | McEwan said that one of the big issues for floating voters is that they are “uncomfortable with the choices they have to make,” noting that many Scots would have checked “devo max,” or more powers for their devolved government, if it had been a third option on the ballot paper. And despite pledges from Westminster politicians this week that they will devolve more powers to Scotland if it stays in the union, many have yet to be swayed. |
| “The proposals at the moment are to ‘agree to agree,’ rather than a clear set of additional powers that will be transferred. I don’t think these proposals will bring people back to the ‘no’ camp,” she said. | “The proposals at the moment are to ‘agree to agree,’ rather than a clear set of additional powers that will be transferred. I don’t think these proposals will bring people back to the ‘no’ camp,” she said. |
| But those who are vacillating may ultimately lean that way regardless. | But those who are vacillating may ultimately lean that way regardless. |
| Christopher Carman, a politics professor at the University of Glasgow, said, “People who are undecided when walking into the polling booth tend to disproportionately go with the status quo.” | Christopher Carman, a politics professor at the University of Glasgow, said, “People who are undecided when walking into the polling booth tend to disproportionately go with the status quo.” |
| To be sure, the electorate is fired up: More than 90 percent of Scotland’s eligible voters are expected to turn out. Walk into any pub in this bustling city, and opinions abound on currency unions and oil reserves and whether the queen maintained her constitutionally mandated impartiality when she said Scots should think “carefully” before they vote. | To be sure, the electorate is fired up: More than 90 percent of Scotland’s eligible voters are expected to turn out. Walk into any pub in this bustling city, and opinions abound on currency unions and oil reserves and whether the queen maintained her constitutionally mandated impartiality when she said Scots should think “carefully” before they vote. |
| But for some, deciding on which box to tick may happen only at the last minute. | But for some, deciding on which box to tick may happen only at the last minute. |
| Megan Bannerman, 22, a university student from Aberdeen who describes herself as a proud Scot and a proud Brit, was an ardent “no” supporter for months but was put off recently by banks warning that they would move their head offices to London if Scotland separated. “It makes me think: Who are they to tell us what we can and cannot do?” she said. | Megan Bannerman, 22, a university student from Aberdeen who describes herself as a proud Scot and a proud Brit, was an ardent “no” supporter for months but was put off recently by banks warning that they would move their head offices to London if Scotland separated. “It makes me think: Who are they to tell us what we can and cannot do?” she said. |
| She plans to soak everything up right until she walks into a voting booth, and then she will “decide what feels right.” | She plans to soak everything up right until she walks into a voting booth, and then she will “decide what feels right.” |