Presidential Election Polls: Better Than You Might Think

Despite mixed perceptions, polls accurately reflect key trends—especially in Swing States.

“Polls? Nah… they’re for strippers and cross country skiers” — Sarah Palin

Photo by Matthew Bamberg and Wikipedia public domain

Public opinions on election polling vary widely, but one fact remains clear: voters closely follow the dozens of polls available. In the 2020 election, while polls slightly underrepresented Trump's support in many swing states, the overall margin of error wasn't significant.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the polling discrepancies across sixteen key swing states, including Texas and Florida, were minor. Although some polls have been unreliable in the past, they still play a critical role in shaping voter awareness and election forecasting.

While some polls can be unreliable, as in past elections, most voters pay attention to the dozens of them.

As of Aug. 5th, voters reported to pollsters that Vice President Kamala Harris had fared better than Biden in three areas – She is in good health (71% for Harris to 30% for Biden), mentally fit (64% to 35%), and a strong le…