Countdown to Election Day

Vote Like You've Never Been Asked to Participate in a Poll, or Like Democracy Depends on It.

As election day draws near, I ask you to be conscientious of the media you consume and the message it conveys. In fact, I’d recommend you shut it off. Binge watch a nice show on Netflix. (Supernatural is 15 seasons and one of my favorite go-tos. It should last you well beyond election day.)

I consume a ton of news, or “news", including via Twitter and Facebook. One commonality I note is the obsession with polls, and the authority with which polling data is given.

Tweets like this, for example, retweeted by Chris Hayes, MSNBC:

Joel Wertheimer @Wertwhile

If Data for Progress thinks Democrats are losing by 4 they should publish the poll. Democrats should know whether they’re losing or winning and campaign accordingly.

Or this one:

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes

This is so nuts. They've gerrymandered themselves into a near super majority in a 50-50 state.

Dan Shafer @DanRShafer

.@CNalysis has updated projections for Wisconsin state legislative seats. Almost all projections favor Republicans. They are now giving Republicans a 49% chance of gaining a supermajority in the State Assembly. https://t.co/EL6GUpqQnv

Suggest 1) candidates should campaign based on polling data, rather than what they are hearing, seeing and experiencing on the ground with their constituency and what motivates those people to vote, and 2) that Republicans winning in Wisconsin is inevitable, as if turnout and voter enthusiasm has no role.

These are only two small examples. The number of times I hear pundits, anchors, or other highly influential people comment that the Republicans will win this election as if this election is over for the Democrats could fill a swear jar with dollar bills.

These polls form the basis for all levels of reporting and discussions, headlines, tweets, and it’s irresponsible for the media to run with these narratives, and then wonder why voter turnout is down, or why voters aren’t showing more enthusiasm.

Telling the public repeatedly, and from the most influential and “respected” in the media, that their vote doesn’t matter because the outcome is already decided is doing a disservice to democracy.

There are ways to report on polls without making the polls the basis for all reporting. Journalists are smart. They can get creative with their reporting. There are any number of issues to spend time on to encourage voting, not help suppress it. The irony is thick in the circular way the media creates narratives, then reports on the thing that naturally occurs because of the way they report on that thing. There’s a reason foreign nations use social media and disinformation to interfere with elections — people are susceptible to persuasion and trusting people in positions of authority.

If the media can’t figure this out, please, as citizens and voters, figure this out.

Jennifer "Pro-privacy" Rubin @JRubinBlogger

so let me get this straight: The NYT "Dems failing" narrative is refuted by the 4 congressional districts they selected and now a raft of senate polls. Don't ya think they need to offer an explanation? a pivot? Utterly confirms my "Ignore it" advice

The only real determining factor of any election is who shows up to vote.

Make a plan to vote. Early in-person voting is underway in Wisconsin. Return your absentee ballot. Make a plan to get to the polls on November 8th. Democracy needs you. The only thing that truly decides an election’s outcome is who shows up to the ballot box.

Your vote matters, no matter how often you hear the media or anyone in a position of trust or authority state the election outcome is decided.

VOTE ANYWAY.

And take this quote from Stacy Abrams to the bank:

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1

Stacey Abrams' final line in her debate against Brian Kemp: "I want you to know that polls do not see you, but I do. And the only poll that matters, is the poll at the ballot box."