Meet the Pollster - John M Couvillon

1) How did you get into politics and political polling

I've been interested in politics for four decades, with my hobby (back then) being following election results with a pen and paper, then coloring in the precinct results onto a precinct map the morning after Election Day. Polling I literally fell into when on a campaign, I was unhappy with the substandard quality of "polling" coming from a phone vendor who, in my opinion, had NO knowledge of the district and/or proper sample composition. I made my opinion known about the quality of this “polling” to the campaign. From then on, I taught myself how to conduct polls, and all aspects of it “clicked” with me. 

2) What should readers know about the challenges of polling today

Never be satisfied with the "this is the way things have always been done" mentality, which I’ve seen far too often is the default mindset for legacy pollsters. Always be willing to learn new polling techniques, as technology (and changes in regulations/laws) makes continuous learning necessary.

3) When hiring a pollster what should people ask / look for? Length and breadth of experience, pollster knowledge of the district/state being polled, a willingness to communicate findings in clear, concise language to the client, and a willingness to disagree (respectfully, of course) with the client if poll data varies from the “groupthink.” Therefore, I would NOT recommend being swayed by a pollster’s “razzle dazzle” during the client interview – you hire a pollster for his/her KNOWLEDGE.

4) What challenges does LA's unique electoral system pose for polling

In a way, LA's open primary system (soon to be modified in 2026) is an ideal learning environment, because (1) your primary "universe" is 100% of the voters, and (2) Louisiana tracks voters by race and party. But since we are in the Deep South, that also means that having a proper minority (particularly African-American) sample composition is crucial for a representative sample.

4) And how do you go about getting the proper minority composition?

This is a common issue with polling here, and is easily solved with additional sampling (before I start ANY poll, I calculate desired sample composition based on several data points, with the common ones being (in Louisiana) race, party, and geography)

5) What do you think the future of polling is

While the “future” is constantly changing, I’ve also seen that “what’s old is new again” for certain polling technologies. This is where technological knowledge/adaptability of the phone vendor is critical, so that emerging trends aren’t missed.

6) What sets JMC apart from your competitors?

I pride myself on (1) domain knowledge – knowing the basic demographic “personality” of any area to be polled BEFORE I enter into any engagement, (2) a willingness to speak the truth to the client, no matter how much it is at variance with the “campaign groupthink”, and (3) my valuing client buy in/engagement - development of a poll script is a collaborative exercise with my client.

7) Is there a particularly challenging project that you have worked on that you are proud of and why? In the summer of 2023, I was engaged to conduct a national poll that was submitted for consideration for the first Milwaukee GOP primary debate. This was the first time I had done a national poll, and there was a personal/professional satisfaction from “diving in” and undertaking this project as part of continuous learning of the business.

BONUS (Advice to people getting started): If you believe you can do a better job/understand client needs better than your colleagues/boss, go for it ! Just make sure before do so that you understand polling is multidimensional, which means (1) understanding the underlying voter data, (2) understanding the political “personality” of the area you’re polling, (3) understanding proper question construction, and (4) consideration of applicable regulations and laws in the area you are polling. And don't be afraid to seek help, which is why I recommend joining relevant professional organization(s) - I am a member both of the AAPC and of Campaigns and Elections, because both offer a good learning environment with webinars, periodic conventions, mentorship opportunities, and the like.

As a self-described "political nerd," John Couvillon (also known by his initials of “JMC”) has had a lifelong fascination with politics, particularly with polling, redistricting, and analysis of voter/election data. Furthermore, his background/prior work experience (in tax accounting, programming, project management, and data analysis) has given him the analytical and customer focused foundation necessary to excel in the political consulting world