Gallup changes survey methodology weeks before election

[Lanyap]

Guess who is up in their polls? David Axelrod puts the pressure on them to change their methodology and then the DOJ joins a 3 year old lawsuit against Gallup. Seems like the Dems are desperate to put their man in the lead in polls. It sounds like the change was needed but should have been well before or after a presidential election, not weeks before.

Gallup Poll Reveals Changes To Its Survey Methodology
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10/gallup-poll-changes_n_1955949.html?utm_hp_ref=@pollster

Dramatic Change in Racial Makeup of Gallup Tracking Poll as Likely Voter Results Begin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-abramowitz/dramatic-change-in-racial_b_1955143.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

Internal emails between senior officials at The Gallup Organization, obtained by The Daily Caller, show senior Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod attempting to subtly intimidate the respected polling firm when its numbers were unfavorable to the president.

After Gallup declined to change its polling methodology, Obama’s Department of Justice hit it with an unrelated lawsuit that appears damning on its face.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/06/justice-dept-gallup-lawsuit-came-after-axelrod-criticized-pollsters/

 

[First]

The timing was bad, as it's difficult to compare subsequent polls with past polls. But the change was obvious, as they were oversampling land lines and whites.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Gallups reputation relies on being accurate. It does them no good to knowingly trash the accuracy of their polls.

 

[ivwshane]

Lol! There is no conspiracy too small or too far fetched that we won't believe it!!!

Hi, I'm a righty and I represent stupidity!




/s

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Why do polls matter? What's the point of an actual election if you're going to place this much emphasis on a poll?

 

[Rainsford]

I'm sorry, but this comes across like an incredibly lame attempt to manufacture a conspiracy where none exists. In addition to having essentially no proof, or even anything that looks like proof, OneOfTheseDays points out why it's pretty unlikely Gallup would agree to bias their methodology. And for that matter, the idea of biased polls significantly influencing voting this election seems to entirely be a theory put forward by right-wing pundits. This conspiracy theory would appear to rely on the Democrats not only willing to risk a massive scandal for questionable gains but operating in a world created mainly by some on the right to explain Romney's poor poll performance (a narrative they've hilariously dropped now that the polls are showing them what they want to see).

 

[xj0hnx]

Lol! There is no conspiracy too small or too far fetched that we won't believe it!!!

Hi, I'm a righty and I represent stupidity!




/s

What are you babbling about? I guess you missed the source, and the story.

 

[Lanyap]

Why do polls matter? What's the point of an actual election if you're going to place this much emphasis on a poll?

It's a very close race and there are people in the middle who could swing either way. Polls can create a herd mentality where these people will chose whoever is highest in the polls. Why do you think Axelrod and others were pushing for a change weeks before the election.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

It's a very close race and there are people in the middle who could swing either way. Polls can create a herd mentality where these people will chose whoever is highest in the polls. Why do you think Axelrod and others were pushing for a change weeks before the election.

Gosh.

Americans are really silly...

I mean, you really vote for the person who's ahead, rather than the person who you think would better run the country?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Who the hell wants to vote for a loser? America, fuck yeah!

 

[DaveSimmons]

Hmm, looks like the whistleblower lawsuit over Gallup "allegedly" cheating the government on polling contracts has been brewing since 2009:

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/09/06/is-doj-suit-against-gallup-retaliation-for-bad-obama-poll-numbers/

" the DoJ served subpoenas on Gallup in early 2010, although it took another 18 months to the fall of 2011 to get a meeting between Gallup and the DoJ. The whistleblower filed the initial lawsuit, which the DoJ joined last month, four months after Axelrod’s public complaint about modeling in the electoral polls."

Details on false cost claims lawsuit:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/August/12-civ-1036.html

 

[lotus503]

It's a very close race and there are people in the middle who could swing either way. Polls can create a herd mentality where these people will chose whoever is highest in the polls. Why do you think Axelrod and others were pushing for a change weeks before the election.

I'd wager legit undecided voters are sub %2

 

[Nemesis 1]

Why do polls matter? What's the point of an actual election if you're going to place this much emphasis on a poll?

Believe it or not alot of people will vote for whos leading in the polls , because they are such losers they want to feel like they won something . true fact

 

[monovillage]

Who the hell wants to vote for a loser? America, fuck yeah!

We did 4 years ago, why not again?