Texas No Filter: As primary runoffs approach, here's what you need to know about polls

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Every election season we see the headlines, candidate A or B is in the lead or these races are tightening.

[00:00:05][music] But how do pollsters actually know that? It's not like they're calling every Texan and asking who they're voting for, right? [music] Well, in this week's Texas No Filter, we're at Palm Aire Coffee in Plano and we are going to talk about how these polls work.

[00:00:20]First thing to know, political polls typically survey a small group of people. Sometimes it's 100, sometimes it's 1,000. [music] In political polls, it's less about how many people are surveyed and more about who gets surveyed. [music] Pollsters try to build a sample that reflects the actual voting population >> [music] >> based on things like age, race, geography, and voting history.

[00:00:43]And that's why polls really aren't predictions. They are a snapshot of where voters [music] stand in time and that could change at any moment if there is a debate, a big endorsement, a scandal, a viral [music] video, and certainly voter turnout will shift a race.

[00:00:57]So when you see a poll online, don't think of it as a [music] prediction.

[00:00:59]Think of it more like a weather forecast. Useful? Yes. Always perfect?

[00:01:05]No. And one thing doesn't necessarily translate to [music] the next. Just because it's raining in Dallas doesn't mean it's going to rain in Fort Worth.

[00:01:12]These polls you see online, they aren't election [music] results. They are simply political temperature checks.

[00:01:18]Until next time, stay civil and stay caffeinated.