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7 Things To Keep In Mind Regarding Primary Election Polls

Given the number of polls that we expect will be released in the weeks leading up to the primary, consider this a friendly reminder to keep the results in perspective.

Here are our seven key tips for covering poll results – brought to you courtesy of Truscott Rossman, the state’s only bipartisan strategic communications firm – with offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit:​

​The following seven things should be required before publishing any primary election surveys:

1. A primary election survey must above all screen for definite or probable August 5th primary election voters. If they are voting in the Democratic primary, they must screen for definite/probable Democratic primary voters. If they are voting in the Republican primary, they must screen for definite/probable Republican primary voters.

2. If a survey tests candidates, it should rotate the names of the candidates. And it should include ALL candidates that will be listed on the primary ballot.

3. If a survey tests a ballot proposal, it should read respondents the exact proposal language that will appear on the election ballot. And the survey will need to be balanced between the likely Republican primary turnout and the likely Democratic primary turnout.

4. A survey should reveal the demographics of its respondents: Party ID, region, gender, age, ethnicity. Remember a primary survey should be substantially older than a general election survey.

5. The proper options for a ‘head to head’ question measures support for each candidate on the ballot, along with Undecided or Don’t Know. In the case of a ballot proposal, it should reflect the ballot language of “Yes” or “No”, and measure “undecided’.

6. Any survey should disclose who commissioned and paid for the survey.

7. A survey Methodology should disclose whether the survey was a live operator or a robo auto-dial survey. And live operator surveys should disclose what percentage was conducted by cell phone and what percentage was conducted by landline.

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