Issue Surveys
Describing the potential power of this function is best done using an example: Following the 2020 election, the majority of our politicians were telling us that we had an honest election and that, despite a steady dripping of credible information that suggested massive irregularities, we should trust the results. No matter how strongly constituents objected, these politicians would not support an audit of the vote. They are *representatives* of “We the People” so, in order to maintain that, they would say, “the people want to move on”, or “the people want a time of unity and healing”. Naturally, the question becomes, “DO the people actually want those things”? Clearly it is the job of a representative to represent the people. But how do we know they aren’t doing what is in their personal best interest and just *saying* that it’s what the people want?
Well, we did a survey of our own. We had no idea how widespread the response would be, but there was a far greater response than what we imagined – well beyond what is required by many pollsters for statistical reliability. In fact, people were *clamoring* to find a way speak out and for their voice to be heard. We just put it out to a few people but in short order it went viral across the state. Nearly every county in the state of Pennsylvania had representation in the results. So, what did those people tell us? The results did not suggest that “the people just want to move on”. In fact quite the opposite: They showed that over 82% believed that there is credible evidence to demonstrate that the election outcome was changed by these irregularities. Even more alarming, 62% believed their vote no longer mattered, and over 37% said they saw no value in voting if there was not significant and meaningful election reform.
How different a picture real, transparent data can provide.Imagine the impact to the results of our future elections if those people are successfully disenfranchised. What our elected officials were telling us was nearly the polar opposite of what actual voters told us. And this was evidence to show it. Imagine having an aggregation point for collecting the clear views of voters across a myriad of issues that you care about. Imagine the inescapable pressure on a politician provided by a transparent and reliable platform, collecting and reporting the voice of the people.
That describes the vision of the Issue Survey function of the platform. And as with every function of the system, it can be filtered for visibility of survey results at the local, state, or national level.