Sent to contact.ipr@gmail.com:
U.S. Senate Candidate John Mertens charged the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute with misleading voters and misrepresenting the results in their recent survey.
In the most recent Q-Poll, voters were asked “If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Richard Blumenthal the Democrat and Linda McMahon the Republican, for whom would you vote?”
In fact, there are three candidates gauranteed to be on the ballot in November: one Democrat, one Republican and John Mertens, Independent.
In addition, Quinnipiac presents results from the poll for Blumenthal, McMahon and “some other candidate” although they do not present the third choice as an option in the poll.
“Doug Schwartz and the Q-Poll staff know that if ‘John Mertens’ or even ‘some other candidate’ is not included as a choice in the poll, it skews the results,” said Mertens. “Polls should be unbiased and accurate. Unfortunately, this poll is neither. They have a responsibility to accurately reflect who is on the ballot, and to accurately present the possible results of their own question.”
Mertens is a Professor of Engineering at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and also teaches courses in public policy and environmental science. He became the first candidate in the country to earn a 2010 ballot line for U.S. Senate at the Connecticut for Lieberman Party statewide caucus on January 13th.
He is also seeking the nominations of the Independent Party, the Green Party, and the Libertarian Party. He presents over thirty detailed position statements and solutions to long-term problems on his website:
And in near by Wisconsin:
Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer
– 1 hr 47 mins ago
MADISON, Wis. – A legislative candidate from Wisconsin can’t use a profane, racially charged phrase to describe herself on the ballot, an election oversight board decided Wednesday.
Ieshuh Griffin, an independent running for a downtown Milwaukee seat in the state Assembly, wants to use the phrase, “NOT the ‘whiteman’s b—-.'”
But the state’s Government Accountability Board voted to bar that wording, agreeing with a staff recommendation that it is pejorative and therefore not allowed.
State law allows independent candidates to have five words describing themselves placed after their names on the ballot as long as it’s not pejorative, profane, discriminatory or includes an obscene word or phrase.
Griffin, who is black, argued her case to the five white, retired judges on the board that regulates elections. She said the phrase was protected free speech.
“It’s a freedom of expression,” she said. “It’s not racial. It’s not a slur.”
She convinced three of the judges that the wording should be allowed, but two said it should not.
One judge was absent, and Griffin needed four votes to succeed. Griffin said she intends to seek an injunction in federal court.
[Lake: hey, wait, when she and I were dating ………]
What map are you using?
“Green candidate for governor, Congress in Illinois ‘to hold joint fundraiser’ ” map and intended blog site ………….. that map!
This is a persistent problem for third party candidates. I always urge supporters and party members to barrage pollsters with these issues prior to a poll even existing. It’s hard to get folks motivated beyond their pet issues.
Polling operations are afraid that a third party presence will actually skew results. If a random sampling is offered another choice, they might indeed chose it. Whether or not they actually make it to the polls is another thing altogether.
@3 Ah, I see. You’re on the wrong article…this is about CT.