I don’t know if you’ve been following Massachusetts politics, but there is a run-off election for the deceased senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy between Martha Coakley and Scott Brown.  I’ve been telephoned twice, once by each candidate’s supporters.  I think the difference in how these polls were conducted tell you a lot about the candidates.

Scott Brown’s poll:

It was automated and voice-recognition driven.   A long series of questions were asked before the final “Who will you vote for?” question.  Questions like “Does abortion affect who you will vote for?”, “Do you support a health bill that will add trillions in debt to our country?” “Do you believe in fiscal responsibility for our govt?”.  Very slick…

Marth Coakley’s call:

It was a person who first states “I’m from the Martha Coakley campaign”.  She asked if I knew there was an election on Tuesday and if I was going to vote.  She asked if I knew where the poll was.  She asked if any voting members of my family needed a ride to the poll and gave me a number to call if I didn’t have a ride.  That was it.  There was no “Who will you vote for?”  Nothing else.

If you’re a MA resident, I hope you vote on Tuesday.  Its a pretty important election no matter what side of the fence you sit on.