Question:
If the November 2012 general election for president was being held today and the candidates were [rotate] Mitt Romney, the Republican and Barack Obama, the Democrat, would you vote for: [rotate] Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, some other candidate, or aren’t you sure how you would vote?

About this Poll
The survey findings presented in this release are based on the results of interviews conducted August 7 – August 12, 2012. The interviews were conducted at the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College under the direction of the poll’s Director Dr. G. Terry Madonna, Head Methodologist Berwood Yost, and Senior Project Manager Angela Knittle. The data included in this release represent the responses of 681 Pennsylvania registered voters, including 343 Democrats, 254 Republicans, and 84 registered as Independent/Other. The sample of registered voters was obtained from Voter Contact Services. Survey results were weighted (region, gender, and party) using an iterative weighting algorithm to reflect the known distribution of those characteristics as reported by the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The sample error for this survey is +/- 3.8 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, this poll is also subject to other sources of non-sampling error. Generally speaking, two sources of error concern researchers most. Non-response bias is created when selected participants either choose not to participate in the survey or are unavailable for interviewing. Response errors are the product of the question and answer process. Surveys that rely on self- reported behaviors and attitudes are susceptible to biases related to the way respondents process and respond to survey questions.