I have avoided looking at polls this cycle. I wish every Democrat do the same. Here is why.
A poll that shows us down a lot is discouraging. If you are discouraged, it is harder to find the energy to GOTV. We are losing! Why should you waste your effort? There's got to be something better to do!
A poll that shows us up a lot can make us complacent. We are winning anyway! Why waste energy on GOTV? There's got to be something better to do!
Well, there isn't something better to do and it IS worth it to GOTV, because every vote is an investment.
We tend to think of our vote as something we spend in the polling booth in this cycle. We cast our vote and we either win or lose. On Tuesday night, the game is over. But it's not. It's a long game and every vote you cast and every vote you bring in with you is an investment that pays dividends in the next cycle and the next and the next. If we win or loose a race, it makes a difference next time whether it was a squeaker or a route. A candidate who loses by a tiny fraction may be seen as viable next go. A candidate who wins by a fraction may be seen as shaky. A candidate who crushes will seem inevitable next time. And these perceptions DO matter in the next cycle! You know they do!
So let's not leave ANY of our candidates behind and let's not slack on ANY obvious winner. Vote. Get everyone you know to vote. Get everyone you don't know to vote. Assume that we are just ten votes short on every race and that it is up to you to find those ten voters.