The Watchword on Polls is “Buyer Beware”

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 25, 2018freadshot

“Polls can be used as a political weapon by campaigns, parties, and partisans trying to influence media coverage and confuse voters.”

“Buyer beware” should be the watchword when it comes to paying attention to polls as this election season heads toward November 6.

Polls can be used as a political weapon by campaigns, parties, and partisans trying to influence media coverage and confuse voters.

Here’s a classic example:

The Indiana Senate race has been seen as very close for some time, with Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly recently having a slight lead in polls over Republican challenger Mike Braun.

Then on Tuesday a new poll was released that had Braun up by four points.

Local Indiana media, and the popular First Read newsletter distributed by NBC’s Meet the Press, picked up the poll, with First Read linking to a piece on the poll with the headline, “Is Mike Braun Getting The Upper Hand Back?”

The media stories, however, failed to make clear to readers that Mason Strategies, the company which conducted the poll, is a highly partisan firm with deep ties to the Republican Party.

They should have.

Cara Mason is the founder of Mason Strategies. The company’s website says she “raised millions of dollars for candidates, members of Congress, PACs and national committees. Cara most recently served as the Republican National Committee and Trump Victory Fund Finance Director, leading more the 70 finance team members to record-breaking fundraising success in the 2016 cycle.”

Braun may actually hold a small lead. But this poll provides no credible basis for reaching that conclusion.

The media that published the poll as “news” had an obligation to inform readers about the partisan Republican ties of the company doing the poll.

They failed to do so.

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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.