Reflections: African American Public Opinion and the Pre-Scientific Polls: The Literary Digest Magazine's Straw-Vote Presidential Polls, 1916-1936.

This article addresses the theoretical and empirical dimensions inherent in the historical antecedents of African American public opinion based on the "Literary Digest" magazine's straw-vote polls in 1916-1936. Straw vote polls are opinion surveys conducted orally and with pen and paper. They have been used in gauging popular sentiment towards candidates standing for governmental office. There were four types of biases that affected the outcome of the polls. These were geographical, class, selection and participation.