Here's How The Undecided Voters Were Selected To Question Obama And Romney At Tomorrow's Debate

Business Insider ^ | 10/15/2012 | Brett LoGiurato

[SeekAndFind]

President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney will answer to a pool of about 100 undecided voters in Wednesday's town-hall style presidential debate in Hempstead, N.Y.

The voters were selected by the Gallup Organization, which has been tracking the Obama-Romney matchup on a daily basis throughout the general election.

This is the 20th anniversary of Gallup's partnering with the Commission on Presidential Debates for a town-hall style debate. In 1992, Gallup editor in chief Frank Newport said, no one had any idea what questions would be asked, and moderator Carole Simpson moved through the crowd of voters at random.

"It's a format that works very well, and it's a format that fits with my personal views, because I have a lot of faith in the average citizens of the country," Newport said.

This year, though, will be a little bit different.

Newport walked through the steps the organization goes through to select the pool. All of these voters will come from Nassau County:

* Gallup calls voters and repeats its normal questionnaire. For undecided voters, it probes further and asks if they lean more toward Obama or Romney.

* If voters identify as truly undecided, Gallup invites them to participate in the debate.

* Newport stressed that the voters have to identify as truly undecided — not even leaners or voters who say their choice could change are considered.

Of the 100, only a select few will be chosen to ask questions by debate moderator Candy Crowley.

[tomkat]

Oh I have, many many many times, and believe it to be the truth as surely as the dawn !

But it was gettin' late and I was sleepy, so slacked off a bit . . figures it'd be the one time I'd get called on it . . LØL

cheers, and an insomnia laden g'mornin'   ;-)