The only thing that really counts in an election is when each person is guaranteed the right to vote. When eligible voters cast their votes, the end result should be vox populi, the people have spoken.
However, long before voters get to voice their choice they are robbed of the chance to vote impartially by a blitz of media polls. It isn’t that everyone is influenced by election polls. Some certainly vote independent-minded and many with their minds already long made-up.
Unquestionably, though, pre-election polls must have by their very nature a potential undue influence on voting patterns. Likewise, the more frequently poll results appear in the media increases the possibility of undue influence.
In one sense, you could say that the opinion takers, as it turns out, are also the opinion makers.
Is it possible that a steady stream of seesaw election polling could sway an uncomfortably significant margin of people by the time they ever get to cast their ballots?
While elections are about awareness and choice, polling should be left in the voting booth.
David Crockett
Cumberland
Letters
Don’t let polls taken by the media influence your vote
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We have lots to show for our education dollars
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Judith Weller’s latest anti-education diatribe, “The money they already have isn’t being spent wisely,” (June 3).
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Western Md. Veterans continues its mission
My name is Dan Brashear, I am the founder and director of Western Maryland Veterans.
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Maybe the cyclists and casino workers should be armed
Again, unfortunately I have to remind Don Carns Jr. of Beans Cove, Pa., on his latest repeatedly inaccurate letter published June 10 in the Cumberland Times-News (“Township is nothing like either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia”).
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Let’s all kick in $1 to help save Frostburg’s Palace Theatre
As a former resident, I have many fond memories of the Palace Theatre (“Theater wall crumbles: Palace exterior collapses, unfit for entry: officials,” June 6 Times-News, Page 1A).
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Develop the waterway
Since the debate over removing the dam started about four years ago, I have been concerned about the effect the dam removal would have on the area’s welfare.
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Living center marks national nursing assistants week
Golden Living Center will join in the celebrations honoring the hundreds of thousands of nursing assistants across the country during National Nursing Assistants Week, June 13-20.
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West Virginia, Johnny Cash, coal miners honored on stamps
While this most likely won’t fall under the category of the most earth-shattering letter to the editor you will read today, it is still big doings for those of us here at the U.S. Postal Service.
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If you build a whitewater play spot, they will come
Regarding “River Project Prospects: Experts reveal benefits, challenges at Allegany Museum” (June 7 Times-News, Page 1A):
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Let’s return common sense to education
I have always enjoyed reading Sen. Joe Manchin’s letters, mainly because of his belief in the use of common sense to solve complex problems.
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Why can’t we use the Western Maryland Station for Amtrak?
Many cities today are exploring the idea of having commuter centers as a part of smart growth planning. Such centers also have access to rail and bus transportation, parking facilities, and storage for bicycles.
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We have lots to show for our education dollars
