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Polls Should be Banned During Elections

2K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  Macfury 
#1 ·
I just watched a CTV news report, and the "meat" of the election coverage was an interview of a pollster. Aside from talking about numbers, he then started to express his opinion. I believe that polls should be banned during elections. News should be about what the candidates say, not about how people intend to vote. We should be able to come to conclusions about candidates and parties without being "told" about other's intentions or opinions based on small samples.

I also feel that reporting about polls decreases the incentive for people to vote. Some might think that since the outcome is "decided," based on polling numbers, there is no reason for them to make an effort to cast a ballot.

The only poll that counts is the election itself.
 
#3 ·
I disagree 100% with the precept of the original post. Polls are useful to thinking voters in assessing the impact of candidates' statements and policy. I personally want all the data I can get to help me structure my vote. But I take it upon myself to evaluate and prioritise each source. Polls themselves have little value unless one takes the time to know who is actually being polled. It is easy to structure questions within a poll to give a desired outcome.

I do agree however that news organisations lean too heavily on polls for content. This is a failure of general journalism (as opposed to individual journalists) in that there is little serious effort at news gathering. It is much easier to just call up a few pollsters than it is to go out and hunt up representative individuals and groups and study their reactions. Polls are just an easy answer - they have value but should not be used as the only source.

I think the OP's issue is with CTV, etc. rather than with polling itself.

Definitely yes, the election is the poll that counts.
 
#4 ·
I think the OP's issue is with CTV, etc. rather than with polling itself.
I don't have an issue specifically with CTV, anymore than concerns about reporting by other networks, or local media. Generally, interviewing pollsters is low journalism; they are not the source of news. Why not interview the cameramen? Of course the journalists always add their two cents worth (and that's being generous!). No, my issue is with reporting polls during election campaigns.

Again, what about the impact of polls on the incentive to cast a ballot?

A discussion about the quality of journalism should be part of another thread.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Once again, we agree here. Of course, I personally am not swayed by such polls, and always rejoice in when they are wrong. Paix, mon ami.
 
#12 ·
I apologize for offending you. I am hoping to get more out of the conversation than mere jingoistic comments. But, I'll bite.

We do not live in a regime of free speech. There are limits on what we can say and applicable laws (e.g., libel, slander, hate speech, deceit, fraud, death threats, state secrets), so, claiming that anything can be said under the rubric of "free speech" does not, in my opinion, respond with any depth to the issue.

Furthermore, to augment the saying "put your money where your mouth is", why are there restrictions on what can be spent in campaigns? After all, advertising is a form of speech.

And, I want to explore the issue of the poor voter turnout. I think, without any research, that polls have a detrimental effect on people making the effort to cast a ballot. Many have responded that polls do not influence them, but can that be said about people generally?
 
#17 ·
First read I thought OP was advocating banning pols (politicians) during an election. :lmao:

Great idea but sadly not feasible. :rolleyes:
 
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