The 2000 United States presidential election generated many speculations and predictions for its outcome. However, no one could have predicted the actual results and the events that followed the election. Nevertheless, it is critical to investigate and understand voter behavior in such a complex situation. This study analyzes voter motives, perceptions, and intention as reported 2 weeks before the election. With the use of principal‐components analysis and regression analysis, several components to explain voter intention in this election were found. The primary components were candidate and political party social imagery, the secondary component was political issues, and the tertiary components, candidate personality/morality and party traits/morality, significantly contributed to voter intention, though to a lesser degree. The final section of this article draws conclusions that may be useful to candidates and political party leadership. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.