Although those with a keen interest in the federal election pay close attention to polls, political scientists and pollsters say poll questions, available answers, and skewed headlines can mislead voters. Continual opinion polls throughout election campaigns help candidates, parties, and political strategists to gauge support and adjust their approach accordingly. However, poll results released to the public may also affect what voters themselves do, according to Tom Flanagan, a political science academic who led various candidate and party campaigns. “Polling results can have an effect by encouraging strategic voting in multi-party races,” Flanagan said in an interview. “Current polls showing the Conservatives in the lead may well encourage some [NDP supporters] to hold their noses and vote Liberal. I’m sure there is some political science literature on this, but strategic voting is hard to study because people don’t like to give straight answers about voting for a second choice.” The …