| an unofficial vote taken to obtain an indication of the general trend of opinion on a particular issue. |
| straw vote n. An unofficial vote or poll indicating the trend of opinion on a candidate or issue. Also called straw poll. |
| Main Entry: | straw poll |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an unofficial accounting taken of opinion on an issue or candidate; also called straw vote |
| Etymology: | from straw 'not having real authority' or 'insignificant thing' |
Originally, a small, informal opinion survey. Today, a straw poll is generally a large-scale, scientifically determined public opinion survey based on a random sample of the population. Straw polls are commonly used to test public opinion of candidates running for office.