Indablog

The weekly online poll by Pajamas Media was recently reconfigured to exclude most of the candidates. It now allows votes for only the top 4 Democrats and top 5 Republicans, based on reporting from the poll aggregator, Real Clear Politics. That’s unfair, in my view, and it could also be risky in such a crowded field, with several months to go. PM folks (who clearly seem to lean toward Thompson) say they’re trying to block swarm voters. So, once again, they’ve blocked out Ron Paul. But another champion swarmer, Bill Richardson still has the lead on the Democratic side, and Chris Dodd, who’s been rising with a bullet, can’t be seen. Pajama’s Media has undercut its chances to show significant trends that might bubble out of the second tier.

Once again, the problem isn’t swarms, but lack of interest in participation. This is the Internet. Viral behaviors are a Good Thing. In any case, IRV voting is far better at dealing with crowded fields than plurality voting.

Last week’s polls saw the smallest turnout since the Tuesday Tracker began, and therefore won’t receive much discussion.

The Democratic Poll

The Republican Poll

Also, I changed the title of the series for ease of use.

Filed under: Indaba Polls, Polling News