A little more than a year into a Virginia-oriented political polling partnership, George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and the Washington Post have expanded the scope of polling to include surveys on topics with national interest.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll made national headlines this week when a new survey of Alabama voters revealed Democrat Doug Jones was in a statistical tie with Republican Roy Moore in that state’s controversial U.S. Senate race.
“Although we originally agreed to partner with the Washington Post on Virginia polling, my goal all along has been to expand our presence outside of the commonwealth,” said Schar School dean Mark J. Rozell. “Given the national significance of the senate race in Alabama, we eagerly agreed to partner on this latest poll.”
This is the second Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted outside of Virginia. The first was the post-election national survey of voters in November 2016.
As the scope of the poll expands so do opportunities for Mason students and faculty to gain insights into political processes. Students and professors have access to poll data that afford detailed analyses of the results, Rozell said, adding that faculty members participate in the process of creating poll topics and questions.