Let's Poll Indiana: an Election Twitter Project
Indiana is a politically underappreciated state at the heart of the Midwest. The Crossroads of America, Indiana has seen many dramatic elections that have frequently only been observed right before Election Day by the national media. Whether it was President Obama's upset Indiana victory in 2008, Glenda Ritz's surprise victory for State Superintendent in 2012, or the dramatic twists and turns of governor and senate elections over the last decade, Indiana is a battleground and has a story to tell about its politics. 2020 is no different.
My name is Andrew Ellison, and in collaboration with interested members of Hoosier Election Twitter, we've created this crowdfunding effort to raise money for a public poll of Indiana. In recent weeks, we've observed a massive grassroots shift in support away from Republican Governor Eric Holcomb toward the Libertarian nominee, Donald Rainwater, due to the Governor's mask mandate, and we have a suspicion that the gubernatorial election is becoming competitive. Dr. Woody Myers is the Democratic nominee, running an underdog campaign as the only African-American gubernatorial nominee in the country this year, and we are curious to see if he is in contention for the governorship. Zero high-quality public pollsters are polling Indiana right now, and we believe it would be in the interest of the state to highlight these shifting attitudes to the nation. With your contribution, you can help us understand the lay of the land in the Hoosier state.
In addition, the Indiana Attorney General's race is highly competitive. The Democratic nominee is former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, and the Republican nominee is former Congressman Todd Rokita. There are indications that this is a close race as both candidates have been raising millions of dollars, but the limited polling situation has made it unclear just where this race stands. We also want to know where Indiana voters stand on the presidential election, as Indiana may give a better indication of how voters are feeling here relative to the Midwest as a whole. As the very first state in the country to close its polls on Election Night, Indiana will be a harbinger of results to come on November 3rd. Your contribution will help offer an early glimpse of where this critical state stands.
Due to the prohibitively high cost of polling for an individual, we are aiming to crowdsource $6900 for our poll. We hope to meet our goal within the next couple days if possible, as we are rapidly approaching the election, and the number of "pollable" days are quickly closing. If we meet our benchmark, we will be commissioning our poll with SurveyUSA, a highly regarded national nonpartisan polling firm with an A-rating at FiveThirtyEight. The polling results will be publicly available for everyone to review. If we do not raise enough money for our poll, or if we raise a surplus amount of money beyond what we need, those funds will be donated to a nonpartisan charity that will be determined afterward.
Thank you for your time and consideration. All contributions are deeply appreciated.