Election polling is best left to the experts, and even then the debate about their accuracy and impact on the electoral process are hotly debated by politicians, pundits and statisticians.
In the case of the newsoptimist.ca poll this week, calling the results skewed might be seen as an understatement.
Keep in mind the online poll varies in topics from the frivolous, the Riders (how much more frivolous can you get?) to serious topics. Previously, our most contentious poll asked readers their opinion on the City of North Battleford's decision to raise the recreation levy in order to finance the CUPlex project. That poll drew 60 votes.
That tally was topped a couple of weeks ago when we first tackled the election issue asking what impact a flurry of funding announcement in the run up to the election call would have on how voters cast their ballots. It drew 65 votes.
Also a hot topic with online poll voters was a recent question about the best way to curb vandalism after attacks on area schools and the Western Development Museum historic village. It drew 76 responses.
Other poll questions have garnered as few as a dozen responses.
Last week, in our innocence, we posted a poll baldly asking readers which party they would vote for in the upcoming election. We could breathe, "Oh my stars, wasn't that a provocative question?" in response to the fact 500 votes were cast. We aren't that naïve, however.
As we watched the numbers accumulate the Liberal's star rose quickly to take the lion's share of the votes. By the time the poll votes cut off Monday, it was a neck and neck race between the Liberals and the Saskatchewan Party. The poll did not specify candidates or a constituency, but it isn't a stretch to assume most votes were cast with Battlefords candidates in mind.
According to the poll, 39.2 per cent of voters support the Liberals, 38.4 the Saskatchewan Party, with the NDP a distant 18.4 per cent. The Green Party saw 1.4 per cent of the hits and the Progressive Conservatives 2.4 per cent.
This poll does not in any way reflect any conducted by polling experts, which show the Saskatchewan Party with a high approval rating and the Liberal Party hardly a blip on the landscape.
It is possible Liberal Leader Ryan Bater, an intelligent and engaging individual, has managed to garner a groundswell of support, as this poll would suggest. It is more likely a few of his supporters and possibly those of Saskatchewan Party candidate Herb Cox made the effort to vote multiple times in order to pad the results. Obviously supporters of NDP candidate Len Taylor and Green Party hopeful Owen Swiderski had better things to do.
Take a look at this week's poll regarding the "occupy" movement. Being this phenomenon is largely driven by online social media, maybe we'll see another padded result. It will be interesting to see if the "occupy" movement can rally enough excitement to top the politicos in the "most votes cast" category.
