tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post5402551621128211521..comments2024-03-18T06:10:07.480-05:00Comments on Public Policy Polling: Maine narrowly favors gay marriage, Collins very popular but LePage notTom Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06545052616714485196noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-13940202994181465512011-03-15T16:34:09.167-05:002011-03-15T16:34:09.167-05:00We don't weight for party--only gender, race, ...We don't weight for party--only gender, race, and age. We report the results we get and let the proportions of each party (or the unenrolled, as they're called in Maine) fall where they may. Party turnout fluctuates from election to election, as we all saw in the drastic swings between 2008 and 2010 and already between last fall and now. Just because independents are 35% of the registered electorate doesn't mean they're going to be 35% of the people who vote. They tend to turn out at lower rates than do partisans. You also have to consider that this is a self-reported question. We don't base it off of registered voter data. Some independents report themselves as Democrats when they're feeling particularly "blue," and as Republicans when they're angry at a Democratic president, like last fall.Dustin Ingallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00599131416393266722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-51167377673839278192011-03-15T15:17:34.630-05:002011-03-15T15:17:34.630-05:00I meant, 'Did this help you get the results yo...I meant, 'Did this help you get the results you wanted?'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-22940166659614076202011-03-15T15:17:08.144-05:002011-03-15T15:17:08.144-05:00For the record, this poll's sample was 39% Dem...For the record, this poll's sample was 39% Democratic, 36% Republican, 26% Independent. Actual registered voters in Maine are 33% Democratic, 28% Republican, and 35% Independent. <br /><br />PPP essentially switched the percentage of Republicans with the percentage of Independents, and I'd be interested to know why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-68014928669975858842011-03-15T15:13:48.527-05:002011-03-15T15:13:48.527-05:00So what then did you mean by the question 'Did...So what then did you mean by the question 'Did this help you get the results you wanted?'Tom Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06545052616714485196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-71756176630304585272011-03-15T15:12:51.091-05:002011-03-15T15:12:51.091-05:00Thanks for knocking down a theory I never had or e...Thanks for knocking down a theory I never had or enunciated, though. Any other imaginary theories of mine you want to argue with?<br /><br />If you're going to reply to comments, reply to what people actually write, why don't you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-36615405624468465752011-03-15T15:11:06.890-05:002011-03-15T15:11:06.890-05:00I did not, in fact, think that.
I was asking why ...I did not, in fact, think that.<br /><br />I was asking why your poll had 9% fewer Independents than the actual voting registration. That's a fairly large differential that could skew the results, and it's reasonable to assume that was done for a reason rather than by accident.<br /><br />Perhaps you could answer the question like a professional instead of being automatically defensive and ascribing motives to me and putting words in my mouth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-11609145498675291222011-03-15T09:29:01.640-05:002011-03-15T09:29:01.640-05:00Assuming you think the results we wanted were to s...Assuming you think the results we wanted were to show LePage as unpopular and support for gay marriage, independents gave LePage worse numbers than the population as a whole and independents gave gay marriage stronger support than the population as a whole. So more independents would mean worse numbers for LePage and better numbers for gay marriage. So much for your theory...Tom Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06545052616714485196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-15675245494294686972011-03-15T09:26:05.889-05:002011-03-15T09:26:05.889-05:00Why is your survey only 26% independents when Main...Why is your survey only 26% independents when Maine voters are more like 40% independents? Did this help you get the results you wanted?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-86415736140195785362011-03-15T08:47:07.165-05:002011-03-15T08:47:07.165-05:00I don't think it's correct to characterize...I don't think it's correct to characterize LePage as "still underwater" with 43% approval. While it's less than 50%, that's not the relevant number given the last election. LePage got less than 39% of the vote in November - that means that he's added more than 4% to his approval rating. He's made some pretty divisive public comments since his inauguration (NAACP can kiss his butt, we should permit BPA in the state since the worst that will happen is that women will get little beards) so this advance is actually pretty interesting news.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-18734692108827902122011-03-14T23:18:32.975-05:002011-03-14T23:18:32.975-05:00Narrow leads are not good enough. The bigots will...Narrow leads are not good enough. The bigots will come in with their secret donor millions and fear mongering TV ads about how the children are in danger etc. etc. and easily reverse a narrow lead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-28650035976135668062011-03-14T21:47:49.751-05:002011-03-14T21:47:49.751-05:00"It's not just that those over 65 are a l..."It's not just that those over 65 are a larger percent of the electorate than the youngest group, it's also that those over 65 turn out to vote at rate of 90% as opposed to the 25% turnout of the typical under 30 voter."<br /><br />That's what it means when they're a larger share of the electorate. The electorate is only those who turn out, unless you're talking about the eligible electorate. This is a poll of registered voters, but it does in some sense reflect eagerness to vote through the response rate. Those more likely to vote are more likely to stick through the whole poll. It's a large part of why Democrats are doing better in our polling now than they did in the polls last fall or even last summer before we started our likely voter screen.Dustin Ingallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00599131416393266722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-9529174875881394382011-03-14T16:30:35.671-05:002011-03-14T16:30:35.671-05:00It's time ME.
Onward to full marriage equali...It's time ME. <br /><br />Onward to full marriage equality rights now in America, where marriage is firstly a civil and contractual matter. Period.<br /><br />Cheers, Joe Mustich,<br />CT Justice of the Peace, USA.Joe Mustich & Ken Cornethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09795993955294441877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-12000716234618779542011-03-14T16:12:00.856-05:002011-03-14T16:12:00.856-05:00It's not just that those over 65 are a larger ...It's not just that those over 65 are a larger percent of the electorate than the youngest group, it's also that those over 65 turn out to vote at rate of 90% as opposed to the 25% turnout of the typical under 30 voter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2799451770086337664.post-56540550539391880212011-03-14T14:24:47.048-05:002011-03-14T14:24:47.048-05:00What I find interesting about the PPP polling in M...What I find interesting about the PPP polling in March is the cross tabs on age. In this poll those 18-29 are 6%. In 2004 that group was 17% of the vote and 2008 it was 16%.<br /><br />The question on the table is pretty obvious: are these polls suggesting a huge dropoff in the youth vote in 2012 OR is this a function of the fact that the race is not engaged yet. If the latter is true, one can argue these polls are sigificantly understating probable Democratic strength.<br /><br />Some other recent polls show the same thing:<br />Missouri - In 2008 voters 18-29 made up 21% of the electorate, in the PPP poll they make up 10%. <br />Virginia - in 2008 they made up 21%of the electorate and in 2004 they made up 17%. In the PPP poll they made up 9%.<br />North Carolina - In 2004 they made up 14% of the electorate and in 2008 they made up 16% of the electorate. In the PPP poll they made up 10%.<br />Wisconsin: In the PPP poll they made up 10%, in 2008 they made up 22% and in 2004 20%.flademnoreply@blogger.com