If you post an online poll on a political topic there is a 99% chance that someone will try manipulate the results.  In 2004, literally minutes after each Presidential debate ended, liberal and conservative bloggers posted links to the inevitable "Who Won the Debate" polls that ran on sites like CNN, MSNBC, etc.  Both parties/campaigns posted links to these polls on their websites and sent out emails encouraging people to weigh in for their candidate.  Inevitably, online political polls end up being less a real barometer of opinion than a test of which side can get the most people to vote.  (Sort of like a real election, actually).

So I knew all that when I posted a poll yesterday on which Senate campaign had the best blog.  But given how modest our blog is I didn't think people would bother to manipulate the results.  However, within a few hours, a Santorum supporter figured out a way to vote 30 times (we have since made this impossible).  And now Sheldon Whitehouse supporters are spamming the comments area of the entry. 

So, like all online polls, our poll here is for recreational purposes only and has no redeeming value.  At this point, I would encourage all the campaigns involved to try to manipulate the results.  Ultimately, the campaign with the best blog is probably the one who can get the most people to vote for them in an online poll. 

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