A week before the election, the amendment for requiring voters to have Photo ID led

[Eric J in MN]

...in a Star Tribune poll.

===
A total of 53 percent of those polled support the amendment, compared to 41 percent who oppose it and 6 percent undecided, the poll found. The survey of 800 randomly selected registered voters who said they are likely to vote was conducted Tuesday through Thursday.

With a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, the results are similar to those found in September, when 52 percent said they supported the amendment, 44 percent were opposed and 4 percent were undecided.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/176058561.html?refer=y
===

I'm glad the poll was wrong, but why was the poll wrong?

[Kalidurga]

1. Maybe they polled in Bachmann territory

BTW I am very bummed she didn't lose.

[bluegopher]

3. I agree

It would have been the icing on the cake. On the bright side, she should provide some good comedy over the next couple of years.

[kickysnana]

2. We did not pick up the phone for the 10-12 polling/funding calls a day

late in this election. I got no political calls on the cell phone.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. The League of Women Voters did an outstanding job of persuading local governments and media outlets

that the bill would cost them big money.

They published a chart with three columns: 1) The text of the ballot question, 2) The text of the actual amendment, and 3) The implications of the amendment for people and local governments.

An editorial in the Strib might have done nothing to persuade rural and small town voters, but editorials in small town papers (especially those run by local people) and statements by local governments to the effect that "your taxes would have to go up" most likely had a great effect.

[BainsBane]

5. People say that Carlson Dayton ad made a big difference

and that ran frequently during the last week of the election.
I don't know if that explains it, but it's one theory.

[question everything]

6. I liked the story about Carlson birth certificate

still saying "baby boy Carlson." His parents, by then new immigrants in New York, did not bother to go to City Hall - or wherever such changes were applied or - to provide his chosen name.