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# Fact brief: Do all pollsters target specific people to get the answers they want?
- URL: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/fact-brief-do-all-pollsters-target-specific-people-to-get-the-answers-they-want/
- Published: 2026-10-29T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-29T09:00:00.000Z
- Description: Some political polls have garnered conflicting results. The latest findings of the South Dakota Poll, sponsored by News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at USD, are out. All the details will be published Friday.
- Author: Emily DeCock

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2025/01/WhiteFACT-BRIEF--500-x-200-px--2-1-1.png)

## No. 

A credible organization like Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy does not target specific groups but rather samples the entire state to ensure a mix of respondents based on gender, age, region and political party.

Mason-Dixon randomly called 500 South Dakotans to get results for the South Dakota Poll, sponsored by News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, using that strategy. 

A representative mix of Republicans, Democrats and independents was surveyed.

For example, about 53% of all registered voters in South Dakota are Republican, and 52% of respondents in the South Dakota Poll identified as Republican. Likewise, Democrats account for 22% of registered voters statewide, and 24% in the poll identified as members of that party.

For geographic location, here's how Mason-Dixon assigned quotas to reflect voter turnout by county: 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-28-at-9.28.34---AM-1-1.png)

A screenshot of the demographics from the South Dakota Poll by county. 

Results and methodology from the South Dakota Poll will be released on Friday.

ℹ️

This fact brief responds to claims such as [this one.](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jxo77abPa/)

### Sources

Dakota News Now, [South Dakota election polls reaching drastically different conclusions](https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2026/10/23/south-dakota-election-polls-reaching-drastically-different-conclusions/?fbclid=IwY2xjawVMfaxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMUhESEI0Ymw2Qm5ERTdTaDNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeowz%5FxZ9RnhVQ-mNiZrg1Qfey42WAKcHvPN2ln32%5FaCgrzjFrSEYh9qeDQBo%5Faem%5FkCrhSoPFvpmViKiZGqL4dw&ref=sdnewswatch.org)

Media Bias Fact Check, [Mason-Dixon Polling – Bias and Credibility](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/mason-dixon-polling-bias-and-credibility/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

South Dakota Secretary of State, [Voter Registration Tracking](https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/voter-registration-totals/voter-registration-comparison-table.aspx?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

### About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by South Dakota News Watch as part of the[ Gigafact](https://gigafact.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) network. Submit a question for us to answer[ on the tipline](https://gigafact.org/tipline/south-dakota-news-watch/?ref=sdnewswatch.org).

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**South Dakota News Watch* is an independent nonprofit. *Read, subscribe* for free and *donate* at* [*sdnewswatch.org*](http://sdnewswatch.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)*. *Contact* reporter Emily DeCock:* 605-736-4396*/* [*emily.decock@sdnewswatch.org*](mailto:emily.decock@sdnewswatch.org)*.*