Election polling is undesirable for democracy. Target on educating voters as a substitute

To the editor: Quinnipiac College Poll director Doug Schwartz’s evaluation of the 2020 election surveys, and his statement that they are useful, direct me to think that election polls may well in truth be accomplishing a disservice to our democracy.

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President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden discussion in Cleveland on Sept. 29. Election polls consistently confirmed Biden was much ahead of Trump. (Getty Pictures)

Customers of the public commence to rely on polling somewhat than on educating by themselves on the candidates and the challenges. As a result, we have the blind leading the blind.

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People may well vote the way they believe everybody else is voting. Or, if a prospect appears to be winning or getting rid of simply for the reason that of the polls, some may possibly presume the consequence is already identified, consequently depressing turnout.

Additional focus need to be paid to enlightening the citizens somewhat than asking their viewpoints on subjects they know small about. Poll quantities are not votes — let’s don’t forget that.

Mary Clumeck, Santa Ana

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To the editor: Yes, let us stop the polling. The information media devote way too substantially time and space on the horse race and way as well minor time and space on what the candidates are saying, what they are proposing to do and what they truly have accomplished in the past.

Candidates simply call their opponents names and distort their earlier information and their options. Covering that and sorting out all the points can take a good deal of time, so it is significantly a lot easier for the media to commit time and area to the horse race.

But the community — and the candidates — are not well served by this.

Jerry Beigel, Los Angeles

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To the editor: When pollsters phone, I generally presume it is a robo simply call and cling up. I marvel how several men and women like me do the same and if that somehow skews the figures.

The polling business demands to tackle this artifact of our modern society before the future election.

Richard Holmen, Trabuco Canyon

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.