The Associated Press

Fri, May 9, 2008 (2:29 a.m.)

Millie Seifert finally made a choice. She voted for the ghost.

In the last week, The Associated Press talked to some respondents to a continuing series of AP-Yahoo News polls to see how they planned to vote in the primaries Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina.

Several were undecided until practically the last minute. One was particularly troubled by how tough it was to come to a decision.

Here's what they did:

Millie Seifert, 69, of East Bend, N.C. A retired pharmacy technician who supplements her Social Security income by working as a nanny.

The choices: Seifert liked Republican Mike Huckabee until he dropped out. Then she was drawn to Democrat Barack Obama until his former preacher made waves. She was ambivalent about Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, disliking her personally but admiring her grit. She was going back and forth _ and back and forth _ between Clinton in the Democratic race and John McCain in the noncompetitive GOP primary. "Every time I leave the house I change my mind," she said earlier. "I'm just so confused."

The decision: She voted for Huckabee, who was still on the ballot despite leaving the race two months ago. "He was the one who I wanted in there to begin with."

If she had voted Democratic, she would have gone with Clinton.

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David Lutz, 53, of Trinity, N.C. He and wife Amy live on his Army pension and money they make at flea markets.

The choices: Last week, Lutz counted himself 60-40 for Clinton. Obama was growing on him. "I was dead set for Hillary Clinton," he said, "but Barack Obama is bringing up stuff that I'm really starting to like."

The decision: He voted for Obama.

"I finally got swayed Obama's way," he said. "He's like a magician _ he pulled a lot of good tricks out of his hat."

Also, Obama's focus on education "really hit home," he said. "He was going to win North Carolina anyway, so what the heck."

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Bernadine Stanek, 27, of Cedar Lake, Ind. A mother of children aged 7, 4 and 18 months _ the eldest with cerebral palsy _ she stays home while her husband Michael works as a shipping clerk for a machine shop.

The choices: "I'm looking for a candidate who is honest, who has experience, who is pro-life, against the death penalty, who cares about the environment. Most of them go against my religious beliefs." She did not trust Obama, objected to Clinton's position on issues including abortion and questioned whether McCain is as anti-abortion as he says.

The decision: She voted for Clinton, the first time she has backed a Democrat in a presidential primary. "I didn't want to see Obama win so I'm hoping in November it will be between Hillary and McCain."

(This version CORRECTS SUBS 5th graf to correct to North Carolina. Last in a series from the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.)