Note: This report is based on interviews with undecided voters conducted by CNHI journalists in eight states that collectively account for 101 electoral votes: Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. We will check back with these voters throughout the final weeks of the election season.

CNHI NEWS SERVICE — The presidential candidates' plans to fix the economy are nearly twice as important to undecided voters as their plans for the war in Iraq, according to a CNHI News Service survey of swing voters in eight battleground states.

Of 36 undecided voters interviewed during the last week and a half, 30 listed the economy as one of three major concerns, and 18 said it was their most pressing. Just 16 undecided voters listed the war in Iraq as one of their top issues, though five mentioned other foreign policy or defense-related concerns.

Duane Roberts, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Johnstown, Pa., said he is worried about the economy and how the government will pay for a $700 billion economic relief packaged passed by Congress last week.

"Where is the money going to come from, because I really don't have much more to give?" said Roberts, who is single and makes less than $40,000 a year. "I've given about all I can give. To be honest with you, I need a little bit of it back."

Roberts describes himself as a conservative who is "totally undecided" between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. The Air Force veteran listed the candidates' positions on the war as the third most important issue in the race.

With the Nov. 4 election just four weeks away, the McCain and Obama campaigns are intensely focusing on so-called "swing voters" like Roberts. Such undecided voters represent as many as 8 percent of likely voters, according to recent national polls.

CNHI reporters and editors fanned out to talk to some of those voters about the candidates and the issues that will influence their decisions. The voters range in age from 18 to 80 and represent a variety of education and income levels, family backgrounds and political ideologies. Slightly more than half are women.

The survey took place in eight states, many of which - such as Ohio, New Hampshire, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Missouri - are closely contested between the campaigns. Polls show Obama with a growing lead in the others: Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan.

Twenty voters said the candidates' ages -- McCain is 72, Obama 47 -- will not affect the election's outcome, though several said McCain's seniority made his choice of a running mate that much more important.

Charles Nestell, of Omena, Mich., said he worries McCain’s health might not hold up for a four-year White House term. "That's why I kind of want to know more about who Sarah Palin is and her own individual ideas, instead of the rhetoric," Nestell said of the Alaska governor joining McCain on the Republican ticket.

More than two-thirds of the voters said they believe race relations have progressed enough that the United States is ready to elect its first black president. However, some expressed concern about Obama’s safety should he win that distinction.

"There are some sick people out there, and they've already been in the news," said Kimberly McKerchie, 29, of Traverse City, Mich. "I fear for him and his little girls."

Four out of five voters said they do not believe Palin's gender will affect the election.