EDITORIAL | Online polls offer new way to weigh in

Published 6:00 am Saturday, December 31, 2016

Langley should not become a sanctuary city, parents need to butt out when it comes to coaching teen sports at South Whidbey High School and the best place to shop for Christmas gifts is off island.

That’s not our opinion, but yours.

One fancy and cool feature that came with the South Whidbey Record’s new website is the ability to conduct an online poll of the topics of the day. We were eager to try it out and it appears readers were too. Of the three questions we’ve posed so far, we’ve seen healthy participation, confirming that not only are people reading the paper online but that they’re also more than willing to weigh in on issues that matter to them.

The first poll concerned sanctuary cities, specifically whether Langley should or shouldn’t become part of this selective and small club. People overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, with 95 readers saying it was a bad idea to just 38 giving the green light.

Nine said they didn’t have enough information to have an opinion.

The results were contrary to a Record endorsement of the proposal, but we chalk that up most to the fact that readers haven’t realized yet that we’re always right. About everything.

The second poll asked readers to offer their opinions on the resignation of two coaches; both suffered criticism from parents. Fifty-four respondents said lobbying for a coach’s dismissal was out of line, and 11 more said district policies for parent behavior need strengthening. Twelve said parents should have a say, while 25 agreed but said there needs to be limits. Nine said criticism comes with the job and coaches need to stop whining.

Finally, it appears that most of our readers do their holiday shopping off island: 50 leave Whidbey compared to just 13 who only spend their dough on the South End. One person shopped in Coupeville, one more on North Whidbey, three said all of the above, and nine don’t purchase any gifts at all.

So, all that said, we’ll be the first to admit these polls aren’t perfect. They’re hardly scientific and certainly don’t represent the views of all South Whidbey residents. For that matter, it’s only a small sample of Record readers. However, we still think it’s a pretty cool mechanism for broadening and deepening public discussion on topics of community importance, one that only becomes more useful the more it’s used. Also, like the opinion page, its value is directly proportionate to the frequency of its use.

So weigh in South Whidbey, we want to hear your opinions. We’re also open to suggestions on topics. Email them to Editor Justin Burnett at editor@southwhidbeyrecord.com