There’s been a lot of hullaballoo about polling this election.
Thanks to technology, voters can tap in daily to a whole host of polls, which appear to show everything from the Conservatives winning another majority government to a possible minority government. Some polls name Harper as the future PM, others suggest its Mulcair, and still more say Trudeau is surging fast for the top job. Locally, as well, the release of a poll commissioned by an ad hoc group of citizens spearheaded by Warren Bell, caused much flurry among the local camps, especially the Liberals, who then commissioned their own survey that countered some of the findings of the Oraclepoll results.
Polls can provide some interesting information, as they use a small sampling of the population to draw general conclusions about the entire riding. But the information is simply that – another element in the decision-making process.
Everyone can point to polls which turned out to be terrible predictor of the actual outcome. If you believed polling, Christy Clark would not be the premier of this province. And ask Albertans how accurate polls were about their provincial election. It is important for voters to educate themselves about their candidates and their positions on issues that matter to you, as well as the positions of the party they represent.
Regardless of who wins, making a thoughtful, well-researched decision at the ballot box is the best thing for our democratic system.