Polls Make Our Voices Heard Before We Vote

Donna Brazile

Donna Brazile is a Democratic political strategist and the Democratic National Committee's vice chairwoman of voter registration and participation. She is the author of “Cooking With Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics.” She is on Twitter.

Updated May 23, 2013, 11:05 AM

What would a presidential election be like if the news media neither commissioned nor reported on any polls?'' At first glance, that seems like a dream world. No spin cycle. No pundits bloviating 24/7. Instead of watching what seems like a roulette wheel -- what number will the ball land on today? -- the public might actually be treated to thoughtful analysis and reasoned debate.

Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damn lies and statistics.” If he were alive today he’d probably have a few choice words about polls. The polls themselves raise concerns. Some differ by more than the “statistical margin of error,” so some have to be so wrong they can’t rely on statistics -- oops -- to excuse themselves. And there’s the question of who’s being asked? How are they being questioned? And, most important, what are they being asked?

They reflect the concerns of voters. If a leader is to respond to the wishes of the people, he first has to know what they are.

We can also ask, do polls influence the election? Does the very observation affect the outcome, like a political Heisenberg principle.

On the other hand, polls provide the public with a way of making their views known. By “taking the pulse of the republic” they reflect the concerns of voters and issues citizens want addressed, as well as possible solutions to consider. If a leader is to respond to the needs and wishes of the people, he first has to know what they are, both what the people feel they need and think they want. Even if a leader wants to change perception, or direction, he first has to know what is the general perception. It was F.D.R.’s reading of the public mood, helped in part by the polls of the time, that allowed him to position the country’s politics and policies for an impending war, despite the isolationist mood.

Yes, polls can be annoying and distracting, turning elections into horse races rather than serious discussions about policy. They allow people who don’t know what they’re talking about to spew nonsense, cause panic and “sound serious.” They can be inaccurate -- see Truman vs. Dewey.

But I’m not sure I want a scenario where polls are neither commissioned nor reported.

I would like to see continued work to improve polling methodologies, with a kind of open-source approach, and let’s use polls to generate policy-driven discussions not odds-making.

To quote John Lennon, you might say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate.

Topics: Politics, elections, polls

What If Candidates Ran Without the Horse Race?

What would a presidential election be like if the media neither commissioned nor reported on any polls. Read More »

Debaters