Is it really helpful to do informal polling?

• Do you get the real results?
• Do you get their real opinion?
• Do you have the ability to do anything with the results?
• How large is your sample size?
• What do you think you will do with the information?
• Will it force you to take a stronger stance on an issue?
• Why do you want to know?
• Do you need to know who they are?
• Do you really need their name and their address?

Formal polling (whether anonymous or not, like on election day,) is necessary. People have to make decisions and choose what they want to happen. Of course, we know – or should know and remember – that we are really only choosing the people who will represent us.  Hopefully, they will choose to make things happen the way we want.

In reality, that isn’t always the case.

Some local and concerned citizens chose to do some informal polling, which I thought was interesting. Interesting since it was actually election day and they were actually at the polling place.  It wasn’t on a ballot. It wasn’t official. I know that it wasn’t a vote and it doesn’t count for anything, not really.  Yet, still, I had to think too carefully about my answer. It forced me to think about the issue and what I really thought should happen. If anything, to be honest, I am not sure which “vote” I made today that made me more confident. That one, short informal question, or the more serious and formal choices I made in the booth, but I am think it might have been the former. I guess, just like with a lot of decisions we make on election day, only time will truly tell.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl