Almost no responsible polling company just uses "random" telephone polls anymore. No telling who they are calling, or who is answering the phone. Most big cities now have a huge number of people who don’t even list their telephone number in the phone books anymore. Either they don’t want any salesmen, or random callers to bother them; or, they now have cellular phones, so it is very very difficult to poll them today.

No poll is completely accurate. The best the polling companies can do is get a statistical "profile" that is weighted to insure the returns are the same percentages as the voting population (race, gender, age, social position, economic class, political party membership, etc. ) If they are VERY good pollsters, they can get a theoretical idea with several hundred telephone calls, for example, with a statistical "margin of error" of plus-or-minus 2 to 4 percent. Major companies can get pretty accurate with about 600 or so responses, as long as they ask the right questions, and get honest answers.

Also, they need to differentiate between ordinary adults over 18, and those who are 1.) citizens 2.) registered to vote and 3.) likely to vote, and 4.) know who is running and who they are likely to vote for (or are legitimately "undecided").

There are several good books on polling and methodology and demographics and statistics. Several are easy to read and understand. Check with your local library for where to begin.

But, I can tell you that if you get a random telephone call today, with someone claiming to be a pollster, and wanting to ask questions, there is a very good chance that 1.) they are polling not for politics, but rather for commercial products and household items. 2.) they might be from one of the candidates or parties, or a political organization; they SAY they are conducting a poll. In fact, these are what are called "push-polls", where they ask questions, but they are worded in such a way as to get the response they want from the voter; they don’t care what your opinion is–they want to TELL you, not ASK you what it should be, or who you should vote for.

I have been polled three times by phone. Only once was a legitimate political pollster. One was publicizing a local radio station; another was trying to influence your vote for a state proposition on the ballot. A third was (as far as I can tell), legitimate, and really asking legitimate questions. One other idiot said they were conducting a poll, but they were calling from North Carolina, and I live in California, and they woke me before 8 a.m. on my day off. No legitimate pollster would do that.

So, good luck. Maybe someday you will get a call. but the chances are sometimes one in a million. You never can tell.
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also search: iowa electronic markets

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