# Polls: Option for non-voters **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 5, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281 "2015-03-05T16:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/1 "2015-03-05T16:25:03Z")
As an example, take this thread: [Married Women: How Do You Identify Yourself on Facebook?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750914). I am not a woman, so none of the answers apply to me. But whenever I visit the thread, if I want to see the results, I have to make the extra, pointless journey of scrolling to the top of the thread, click to “view poll results,” then clicking back to the discussion, and scrolling back to the point I left off reading. If I had voted in the poll, then I wouldn’t have to worry about most of that journey. The poll would remember that I had already voted and automatically show me the current results every time I opened the thread. And it seems that most people constructing polls never even consider this issue for people who are interested in the thread but either don’t want to vote or the question doesn’t directly apply to them. Is there any way to automatically include a “no vote” option in every poll, so that we can get around this? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/2 "2015-03-05T16:36:29Z")
I’m confused what you’re annoyed with. I understand about your request (to have a “no vote” to click on to see voting results), but how is that any faster than just clicking “show results”? You mentioned having to scroll all the way back up, but you don’t click on"show results" as soon as you click on a topic with a poll (thus eliminating the need to scroll up from where you are in the thread)? Seems to me entering a topic, clicking on “show results” and then clicking the back button only takes about 0.5 extra of a second than clicking a “no vote” button would be, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/3 "2015-03-05T16:50:18Z")
A no vote option throws off the percentages. Sure, we can do the math, but that’s another step too. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/4 "2015-03-05T17:35:55Z")
Put me down in the non-poll as being one of those who doesn’t see the problem. Some people do add a choice in their polls “I don’t want to vote but I want to see the results” and I’ve sometimes used that option. I don’t see where that is any faster than just clicking “view results”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/5 "2015-03-05T17:37:20Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I’m confused what you’re annoyed with. I understand about your request (to have a “no vote” to click on to see voting results), but how is that any faster than just clicking “show results”? > > You mentioned having to scroll all the way back up, but you don’t click on"show results" as soon as you click on a topic with a poll (thus eliminating the need to scroll up from where you are in the thread)? > > Seems to me entering a topic, clicking on “show results” and then clicking the back button only takes about 0.5 extra of a second than clicking a “no vote” button would be, but YMMV. Do you normally read a thread once and then never again? I usually read a thread many times, as people add more posts to it. Once you’ve voted, it remembers that you have voted, and you never have to go through that process again when you come back to the thread. After the first time, once you have voted, then you are automatically shown the updated results each time you open the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/6 "2015-03-05T17:39:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > A no vote option throws off the percentages. Sure, we can do the math, but that’s another step too. Well, then set up the “no vote” so that it isn’t calculated into the percentages. It seems to me that it should be assumed that not everyone reading a poll thread is necessarily going to vote in the poll. That should be part of the programming. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/7 "2015-03-05T17:49:11Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Well, then set up the “no vote” so that it isn’t calculated into the percentages. Not a bad idea, but if it’s not already built into the vBulletin software, you’re not going to see it here. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/8 "2015-03-05T23:01:07Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I’m confused what you’re annoyed with. I understand about your request (to have a “no vote” to click on to see voting results), but how is that any faster than just clicking “show results”? > > You mentioned having to scroll all the way back up, but you don’t click on"show results" as soon as you click on a topic with a poll (thus eliminating the need to scroll up from where you are in the thread)? > > Seems to me entering a topic, clicking on “show results” and then clicking the back button only takes about 0.5 extra of a second than clicking a “no vote” button would be, but YMMV. You would have to click “show results” every time you open the thread, though; a “no vote” would show you the current poll results automatically, like it does if you have voted. It’s not a HUGE deal, but I agree that it would be nice to have. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/9 "2015-03-06T00:29:00Z")
How about just opening the thread again in a separate tab or window? You could display the results there and keep that tab or window open, while you scroll down the thread in the other tab or window. Then you could switch back and forth between tabs or windows. This is exactly what I often do when someone links to a photo. I open the photo (which always opens in a separate tab) and _keep it open after I look at it._ Then, as I read the thread, and as I see various remarks about the photo that other posters have made, I can switch back to the photo any time I want to take another look at this detail or that detail. Why not do the same strategy for viewing polls? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/10 "2015-03-06T00:32:51Z")
I personally usually put in a “no vote” option for the reasons the OP gave and I’d encourage other people to do the same. But I wouldn’t like it to be mandatorily built in to the system. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/11 "2015-03-06T00:35:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I personally usually put in a “no vote” option for the reasons the OP gave and I’d encourage other people to do the same. But I wouldn’t like it to be mandatorily built in to the system. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/12 "2015-03-06T02:14:08Z")
Agreed with **Little Nemo**. The best polls have an “other” or “chocolate pie!” or some sort of “Don’t mind me, I just want to check a box please” option. But this shouldn’t be mandatory. Let people design super-strict “yes or no only” polls if they want. They’re denying themselves (and us) information, but, c’mon, it’s their toy pony, and they can paint it puce if they want to. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/13 "2015-03-06T02:15:44Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > They’re denying themselves (and us) information, but, c’mon, it’s their toy pony, and they can paint it puce if they want to. Everything on this board is subject to rules and restrictions. I don’t think a mandatory “no vote” option in polls will restrict any OP in any meaningful way. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/14 "2015-03-06T05:23:32Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Why not? Because sometimes you want to limit the choices to specific options rather than let votes spread across a spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-option-for-non-voters/714281/15 "2015-03-07T13:29:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Well, then **set up** the “no vote” so that it isn’t calculated into the percentages. Who do you think is going to do that?