*sigh*
Ahem.
I can actually speak with a little more authority on this topic than most people...well, than most people on the planet, really.
Past positions on my resume include "professional statistician", (OK, that was 20 years ago, but still....) and more recently, "chief architect of a huge website most of you have used, and shall forever remain nameless.", and a lot of other things in those ballparks.
When the results of uncontrolled internet polls are grossly out of line with the results of professionally run polls (which generally adhere to some minimum standard of scientific integrity), it's a sure sign of one of the following:
1) The participating population is skewed, the sample is "naturally" not representative of the whole, for any of a number of possible reasons. (Classic example: skewed telephone polls in the days when the distribution of telephones had class and income implications)
2) The participating population is skewed, the sample is "unnaturally" not representative of the whole. (Classic example: rallying partisans to polls via email, website, blog post, or forum post...let's face it, we "hit this {gun related} poll" all the time, and the only time we ever lose is deep in enemy territory)
or
3) Varying degrees of sophistication of poll stuffing attack. Google any warez list, you can find a dozen scripts to stuff the poll of your choice.
I can say, with absolute certainty, that _most_ professionally run sites are aware of the issue of poll stuffing, have hardened their sites in various ways against it, and those that care actively monitor for it, alerting staff to any of a number of "tells" that indicate a rat. Sites that care to do so can and DO adjust or filter the results in any of a number of ways, some blatant and some subtle.
The bottom line is this: Internet polls are cases of garbage in, garbage out, with the poll owner having the final word on the "out" part.
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The simple reality that Ron Paul fans and supporters don't want to hear is that credible, reputable pollsters have determined that he's rated at less than 1%, which is grossly at odds with the er...optimistic numbers of internet polls that have fired their hopes and imaginations.
The internet polls are being adjusted in light of this, and NOT in some deep dark conspiracy of influencing public policy by sidelining Dr. Paul.
Sorry guys, that's just how it is.
