How Polls Work

Suggest a local question

Provide one clear question and fair answer choices. You can add optional context, one image or PDF, and a close date. Without a selected date, a poll closes 14 days after publication. With a selected date, it closes at 11:59 PM on that date in New York time (Salem County local time).

Attachments have file-type and size checks, but those checks do not verify every claim in a document or image.

What review looks for

Public suggestions are checked for clarity, neutral wording, fair choices, duplication, spam, personal attacks, private information, unsupported accusations and threats. Owner-created polls are published directly by the owner rather than through the public suggestion checks.

• Published: The question is ready for participation.
• Suggested Rewrite: Clearer or more neutral wording is offered. You can accept it or edit your suggestion and submit it again.
• Held for Owner Review: The suggestion needs a closer look before publication.

Being held for review does not mean a poll has been rejected.

Examples needing closer review include candidate or election questions, allegations about named people or organizations, possible defamation, privacy issues, threats, questionable factual premises, spam and attempted manipulation.

Which topics belong here?

County services, transportation, development, recreation, facilities, priorities, elections, public policy, community preferences and quality of life can all be suitable. Use a clear, neutral question with reasonable choices and local relevance. Controversial opinions are not prohibited just because they are controversial.

Threats, harassment, personal attacks, private information, impersonation, obvious spam, fabricated allegations, unsupported accusations of criminal or unethical conduct, and deceptive or forced choices are not allowed.

Voting and privacy

Voting asks for your name, ZIP code, whether you live in Salem County, and one choice. Names are never public. Votes cannot be changed after submission.

Duplicate and rate checks use multiple signals: a browser token, hashed IP information, a normalized name hash, ZIP code and timestamps. Name-and-ZIP and browser/visitor patterns help identify possible repeats; hashed IP information primarily supports rate limits.

These tools reduce obvious duplicate or automated participation. They do not prove a participant's identity.

Households may share devices or networks. IP addresses can change, and privacy tools can alter browser or network signals. These checks are imperfect. Flagged votes are excluded from default results but retained for audit.

Residents, Non-Residents and Everyone

The default results view is Residents. You can also choose Non-Residents or Everyone. Residency is self-reported. Ask Salem County does not independently verify residency or identity; these groups are not verified addresses or voter-registration records.

Open polls show current results. After closing, final results remain in the archive unless an administrator removes the poll.

A community pulse, not a scientific survey

These voluntary online polls are not a random sample and do not represent everyone in Salem County. Results reflect participating users: a community pulse, not scientific measurement. No statistical confidence level or margin of error is claimed.

Use the results to learn and discuss, not as an official vote or the sole basis for legal, financial, governmental, electoral or other significant decisions.