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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 195

Shake Up

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 195: Shake Up

Why Nevada Is So Hard to Poll

February 20, 2016 · 8:05 am ET · 6 Comments

Clare Malone: “For starters, when it comes to surveying public opinion, Nevada is still very much the Wild West, and pollsters may be unwilling to gamble their reputations on the state: Nevada is among the hardest places to poll in the nation, with a spotty track record to prove it.”

“Nevada populace’s is still pretty unfamiliar with caucusing, making for difficult polling work.”

“Nevadans are also notoriously hard to pin down for a survey. Many work night shifts, thanks to the state’s thriving hotel and gaming industry, meaning that they aren’t home to answer the phone in the evening, when polling calls are typically placed… And given that the state’s population is highly transitory — the bright lights and job prospects on the Strip draw people in like moths to a flame — phone calling can itself be a highly inefficient process.”

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2016 Campaign Nevada

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Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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