Poll Types We Use
Multiple Choice
Voters select one option. Best for head-to-head matchups and clear either/or questions. Results shown as percentage of total votes.
Preference Ranking
Respondents drag-and-drop to rank candidates or options by preference. Results display first-choice percentages and cumulative preferences of the respondents.
Scale (1–10)
Voters place themselves on a scale. Ideal for measuring intensity of opinion, not just direction. We report average score and distribution.
Time-Limited Polls
Some polls have defined open and close dates. This allows us to compare opinion at specific moments during a campaign or legislative session.
How Votes Are Counted
Each respondent may cast one vote per poll. We use a combination of IP address and browser fingerprinting to prevent duplicate votes from the same device. This is not a perfect system — a determined person can vote more than once — but it provides meaningful friction for casual duplication.
All votes are stored in a secure database. We do not collect or store personally identifiable information about voters.
Sample & Representativeness
Important disclosure: PredictOregon polls use a self-selected online sample. Respondents choose to participate — they are not randomly selected. This means our results cannot be treated as statistically representative of all Oregon voters. Results should be interpreted as the views of engaged online Oregonians, not a scientific probability sample.
We believe transparency about this limitation is essential. Many widely-cited online polls make no such disclosure. We do, because we believe informed readers make better decisions with honest data than with numbers that falsely claim precision they don't have.
Question Design
We take question wording seriously. Subtle changes in how a question is asked can dramatically shift results. Our principles are to use plain language that any Oregon voter would understand, avoid leading or loaded language, present options in a balanced order, and include "Undecided" or "Other" options where appropriate so voters aren't forced into a false choice.
Future Development
We are actively working toward incorporating weighted sampling and demographic quotas into future polls. This would allow us to adjust our sample to better reflect the actual demographic composition of Oregon's registered voter pool. As PredictOregon grows, we intend to publish full methodology notes for each poll, including sample size, polling dates, question wording, and any weighting applied.