Where I’m headed

Legacy blog posts MP Housekeeping

I made a list tonight of the topics I would like to cover over the next three weeks.

  • A series on how pollsters define and identify likely voters
  • Wireless phones
  • Response rates
  • The challenge of new registrants
  • Nightly tracking polls
  • Automated (IVR) polls
  • Internet Polls
  • Electoral College Projections
  • Nader’s vote
  • Exit polls

This list is ambitious given the calendar. Many of you have sent other excellent questions, but I will try hard to cover as man of the topics on this list as possible. I may also post occasionally with my thoughts about where the presidential race stands, but you have many sources of analysis on that front.

For tonight, I’m up watching debate coverage. Just as I typed that last sentence, Larry King just asked Candy Crowley to explain how pollsters decide who a likely voter is, and asked Perry Bacon whether we poll people with cell phones. I think that’s a sign…

Mark Blumenthal

Mark Blumenthal is political pollster with deep and varied experience across survey research, campaigns, and media. The original "Mystery Pollster" and co-creator of Pollster.com, he explains complex concepts to a multitude of audiences and how data informs politics and decision-making. A researcher and consultant who crafts effective questions and identifies innovative solutions to deliver results. An award winning political journalist who brings insights and crafts compelling narratives from chaotic data.