Are they really helpful?
Published on September 15, 2004 By Insightful In Politics
I've been wondering, are Political Polls really helpful? Are we getting more information then we need?
How many times have your heard, "No, I'm not going to vote, my candidate has it in the bag. "Or vise-versa, "No, my candidate hasn't got a chance in hell."
I mean, if the results of a game are already known, why play? It's not like sports, where you get a 7 point spot, and there is still a chance of an upset.
We're not talking Las Vegas odds here.
There are no upsets, in politics, 95% of the time.
I can understand how the Polls might be helpful to the candidates, but to the rest of us?
I'm thinking, NOT!
I don't want to know, the guy I'm voting for is 15 points behind. It kills my motivation to go through the process. On the other hand, if my guy is ahead by 15 points, then I don't have to bother voting. He's going to win without me.

And every one wonders why, only a little over half of Registered voters, vote,
...............and I'm not even talking about the huge number of people that don't even bother with registering to at all.

I for one, hope that one day soon, the pollsters are way off the mark. I would like for them to be so far off, that they lose their credibility and they stop taking polls on elections.

Here's another thought: On Election night, the networks begin projecting,
the winners, of the various states, at 8:05 PM.
Wait a minute! I'm not even home from casting my vote yet, and they're already projecting the, winners?
And sometimes they can project the winner with as little as 7% of the vote counted.
(Discount Florida in this thread. The networks never did get that one right.)
Just because the Networks might be capable of projecting accurately, (most of the time.) is it something that really needs to be done? To put it another way, just because they can, do we need it or want it?
Again, I'm thinking, NOT!

Myself, I can wait until the following morning, to find out, who the next president might be, thank you.

Exit Polls: Don't give them the info on how you voted. That is a private matter. The networks or anyone else, has no right to know how you voted. Keep it to yourself and watch the Networks flounder.

Stop Exit Polling!

Comments
on Sep 15, 2004
Hear here, because they call one state for a candidate, who knows polls might still be open, and saying it went one way might stop people from voting letting the other win, or get close to winning, i.e. Florida.
on Sep 16, 2004
Another very good point Shozan.