If you have caller ID, it probably says unavailable or anonymous. If and when you answer it, they ask for either the mother or father of the household. Polls an invasion of privacy, cheating to appeal to public opinion, a dishonest attempt for politicians to shape their message to what the public wants to hear. But polling serves an important service for political candidates.
Candidates have a variety of ways to gather information.
But presidential contenders, no matter how moved they may be by a anecdote, must find a basis in sound policy and solid political backing before acting upon information gathered from conversations with voters. Another influential source of information for candidates is contributors. Like it or not, contributors who write big checks have earned the right to at least be heard by a candidate. This is the kind of information gathering that frightens most of us because it gives the rich and powerful access to decision-makers in ways few of us could ever hope to experience. Most people must stand in a crowded rope-line at an airport hoping to get a glimpse and maybe a word with a hurried and often fatigued political figure.