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How The Downballot reports on and analyzes polls

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How The Downballot reports on and analyzes polls Polling can be very useful, but we have strict requirements for what we will—and won’t—include David Nir Sep 8 From our earliest days more than two decades ago, election polls have always been of interest to us at The Downballot, since they can tell us a great deal about a given race and the electorate at large. But they also have their limitations, which is why we have strict requirements before we include a poll in our coverage. These are requirements we’ve adhered to for a long time and have written about before . The world of polling has changed a good deal since the last time we visited the topic in depth, though, so we felt an update was warranted. Below, we discuss each of our requirements, as well as other factors we take into account to best derive meaning from survey data. Requirements Pollster name Most pollsters have reputations, some good and some bad. Without knowing who conducted a poll, we have no way to place it in the c...

WBUR TODAY: South Station's new fare gates have a rain problem NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY TODAY RHODE ISLAND PRIMARY WEDNESDAY

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  ❤️ Donate Tuesday, September 8, 2026 ☀️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Good Morning Boston, It's the first day of school for Boston Public Schools, but those yellow buses aren't the only reason your commute might feel more congested: Back to work: One of Boston’s largest employers is bringing nearly every employee back to the office this week. Fidelity Investments is requiring its 6,000-plus Boston-based employees to return to in-person work five-days a week — ending the two-out-of-four-weeks hybrid policy that had been in place the last two years. WBUR's Eve Zuckoff has more on the impacts of the change: The pros: Fidelity leaders expect the full-time return to the office to foster more face-to-face collaboration and a sense of community at the growing company. Some other downtown businesses — like lunch spots and barbershops — are excited about the change, too. "The more they come to the city, more business for us," Summer Street Barber Shop owner Ali K...