# Dopers: Help me win an online poll?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-win-an-online-poll/553322>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 10, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-win-an-online-poll/553322 "2010-09-10T18:54:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-win-an-online-poll/553322/1 "2010-09-10T18:54:48Z")

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Some of you may know that I’m running for County Commissioner.

Well, the local paper is running an online poll today about the race. Could I trouble you to go vote for me, Johnathan Chance , in the poll? I’d appreciate it.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-win-an-online-poll/553322/2 "2010-09-10T19:01:59Z")

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Um … **Jonathan Chance** , you seem like a good and smart guy. I like your posts, you come off as thoughtful and intelligent, and I do think you’d make a good county commissioner.

But most of us don’t live in your county and haven’t followed the campaign. And even unscientific, flimsy web polls like this one can turn into news stories - if we swamped that site and gave you a commanding lead, that could give you a bit of useful buzz. I assume you think that as well, or you wouldn’t bother asking us to do this. And for a bunch of people who live outside your county, who don’t know your county’s issues, to come in and essentially “astroturf” for you, even in a limited way - that doesn’t seem quite kosher to me.

This isn’t a dig at you, man - I think you’re a good guy, but you haven’t thought this one all the way through. Which happens in a campaign sometimes, no shame in it. But I do think that this isn’t really something the Dope should be doing, and I urge my fellow Dopers (who don’t live in the county) to stay away from this poll.

ETA: To elaborate a bit: If one of your opponents bussed in a bunch of folks from outside the county to stand up in front of cameras and say that of _course_ they would back your opponent in the race, wouldn’t you think that’s a bit off?

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-win-an-online-poll/553322/3 "2010-09-10T19:10:27Z")

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You’ve been here long enough to know better than this.

Closed and link removed.

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**twickster** , MPSIMS moderator