It seems the Dave Friend for Mayor Campaign is engaging in some deceptive internet activity. On Dave Friend’s website he posts a weekly campaign poll.
I personally contacted six people and had them vote at the Dave Friend website (and I urge all of you to vote on the poll as well).
This week’s poll question is as follows:
Friend for Mayor Weekly Poll – 03/02-08/05
Dave wants to hear from you on issues/questions facing Omaha. Please take a moment to complete this single question survey. On the following question, please indicate whether or not you agree or disagree by answering Yes to agree or No to disagree. Please vote only once, your IP address is recorded.
Required questions are denoted by (*)
Trying to justify his mismanaged attempt to annex Elkhorn, Mike Fahey is quoted as saying, “To the people of Omaha I say, ensuring Omaha’s ability to grow is the best guarantee for a prosperous future.” Do you agree with Dave that “the best guarantee for a prosperous future” is a new Mayor whose primary goal is producing a sustained high level of economic development in Omaha? *
Please consider making a donation to help Dave get his message out to more Omaha’s voters…Thanks!
– Yes
– No
– Don’t know/care
I personally voted twice on the website. When I voted for the first time, there were around 60 votes. After voting a second time, I was given the results below.
It has come to my attention that the website is not recording votes properly. First, if there are 70 votes, it is statistically impossible for a response to receive .5% votes. Also, if the website was displaying the votes properly, the 2 “no” votes that I made and the 6 “no” votes that other visitors made should show up. At the very least, 11% of the responses are “no” votes.
After investigating this matter, I’m 100% convinced that the Dave Friend for Mayor website is forging the results of its polls. At the very least, the website is only recording “yes” votes.
UPDATE 3/8/05
It looks like the Dave Friend for Mayor website is aware of the “problem.” Here is the disclaimer that now appears after you vote.
I don’t want to bore everyone with internet jargon, but I will. First, I voted on the poll three times from three different computers. Each computer is at a different location with a different IP address. The mysterious “poll server” they speak of would not know that I had voted before.
Also, I will be the first one to admit that I skewed the poll results. But I don’t see how it’s possible to skew poll results that are wrong (and never updated) to begin with. Maybe they should invest in a new “poll server” because the “server” they are using now thinks it is possible for a response to receive .5% of a vote when only 70 people voted.
The Dave Friend for Mayor campaign has never explained why, when I voted the first time, the results were displayed incorrectly. Those morons at the Dave Friend for Mayor campaign are lying to people once again.
In my defense, I don’t like to call people names, but they called me “foolish” first. Why don’t you try attacking my credibility again. I dare you. The facts are on my side.
I SAY TO THE IDIOTS AT DAVE FRIEND’S CAMPAIGN “BRING IT ON!”
I just voted and got the same sorry results you received. First the Republicans pratice cencorship on their sites now they fudge figures. It reminds me of that old addage..
Figures don’t lie but liars can figure.
Very nice Chief. You are a sharper guy than I give you credit for.
It’s painfully obvious what Friend is doing. They are making NO votes simply not register.
That’s lying.
How pathetic does your propaganda have to get before someone calls you on it?! Seriously – Does he think that a stunt like this is going to HELP his campaign? Mr. Friend needs to grow up a little bit. If he was seriously concerned with the views of the people, doing something like this would be OUT OF THE QUESTION. Obviously he isn’t the right man for Mayor. I hope people realize that.
I just sent Friend a nasty email. We’ll see if he has the integrity to remedy the problem. (News at 11)
I can also confirm the false poll.
My results – Number 78, voted NO and the NO percentage was still at .5%
Message of the day: Friend is not a friend.
Cheif – good investgative journalism.
I voted. No change.
But friend has been gettting so little publicity maybe this scandal will be good for him.
No wait- lying on your website’s not too classy.
They now have a little astrix by the poll with some comments regarding Mayor Fahey check it out its ridiculous.
I just voted…number 106…and still the same .5% bullshit. FRIEND IS NOT A FRIEND, PEOPLE!
I guess the funniest part of this whole this is that they think thier complely loaded “survey” question will help get them votes. I’m not going to give them any help, but, it’s a ship of fools running that campaign.
At this point, I have just as good a chance of becoming Mayor of Omaha as Dave Friend. Wow, this is exciting, I might become Mayor! Err…not.
Some person was foolish enough to practice basic mental math:)
Did they ever explain why the numbers don’t add up?
Friend is a coward!! Instead of contacting me – which he had every opportunity to do – he just throws this dumb lowball. Do you know of anyone who voted more than once? NO! I can count at least 10 people who voted no. Under those statistics, we should have AT LEAST 10%. Also, to my amused disapointment, the website let me vote again; and AGAIN my vote was not counted. (Not even in the ticker.) Too bad Friend’s friend’s don’t read our blog. Maybe they would ask him to be smarter next time.
Don’t mess with the blogosphere, Friend, you’ll get served!
I voted today, and I was number 118 but it only said that 1% voted no, but seeing the disclaimer about a foolish person was hilarious, it was well worth my visit to his shatty website.
Wow, great investigation chief. Sure looks like something wrong with poll on Friend’s website and great that Mike Fahey supporter is keeping an eye on competition. I do hope you are being careful and received permission from Friend campaign to reproduce copyrighted material here. You know some Republican sharply shyster will shut you down since your blog host T&C probably prohibits copyright violations. Keep up the great work!
All visitors should read the following website about copyright and fair use.
I’m not an expert on copyright laws but I’m pretty sure our content falls under the fair use principle. Correct me if I’m wrong.
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html
Looks like it is legal for you to use it, because we are using it to critisize and I don’t think the Friend Campaign would really like to put an emphasis and make public their shatty poll on their shatty website.
He has a new poll this week. Go vote and see if it is still rigged… It won’t let me vote at all.
I also cannot vote in the new poll.
BTW – I sent the campaign another scathing email. (I’m getting pretty good at it.) Hopefully this time he will email me back with an appology for being such a jackhole about the whole thing. Don’t worry – I’ll keep bugging him!
Also – In an attempt to look less slimy, he has taken the percentages off of the bar graph of results. The sliver of blue in the ‘no’ and ‘don’t care’ boxes is markedly larger than last week’s attempt at licentiousness. But still the ‘yes’s have it in an overwhelming majority. This guy needs a life and a job at APAC. Not the mayorship.