T
he News’ online poll is not scientific. The results it comes up with should never be taken seriously — it’s an entertaining Internet widget designed for a bit of fun. The only thing it measures is how many people clicked onto our home page and gave it a whirl. They can be from right next door — or from the far reaches of the World Wide Web.
It’s more likely, however, that those who play with our poll do live around here and are actually interested in the question posed.
Last week and this week, the poll question is asking people who they like as mayor of their respective community.
Will its result be on par with those from the civic election this weekend?
Good question. We pose a similar query each time a poll goes live for people to click on. Does the poll reflect what most people think? It’s only wishful thinking. As such, The News never uses the poll results for any serious reporting.
Perhaps, in the end, our online poll is simply a measure of who is actually interested in the subject matter.
And for a municipal election, that’s terrible news.
Only 202 people clicked on the most recent poll. We have to assume it’s the family and friends of the candidates who clicked there — as there’s little doubt that issues posted on the poll generate that type of response: by people trying to stack the vote. Try that anywhere else and you’ll probably go to jail. Or never get to vote again for years and years.
So, have fun with the poll, but hope that the best it and other intangibles can do is generate actual interest in voting in this weekend’s election. Only then will we see who gets the most votes. — editorial by Steven Heywood
