'Wednesday is the real poll,' says Tufton amid contrasting public opinion poll results
Published:Sunday | August 31, 2025 | 4:39 PM
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Campaign Committee Chairman Dr Christopher Tufton has declared that "the real poll is really the result in the ballot box" amid two national polls painting completely different pictures as it relates to voting intention just days before the September 3 general election.
The findings of the latest RJRGLEANER-commissioned Don Anderson poll published on Sunday state that the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has opened a gap over the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
It stated that 37.6 per cent of the 1,010 respondents in the poll, conducted from August 22 to 26, indicated they will vote for the PNP, while 34.5 per cent plan to mark their ‘X’ for the JLP.
On the other hand, the Nationwide/Bluedot poll results published on Friday show the JLP with a 13-point lead over the PNP. It stated that 46 per cent of the 1,511 registered voters polled from August 19 to 27 said they will vote for the JLP while 33 per cent said they will vote for the PNP.
In a statement released to the media on Sunday, Tufton said he had taken note of the two polls.
"Our position is, while polls are always useful, they do not determine our strategy. And indeed our strategy is to prepare for election day, because the real poll is really the result in the ballot box and we think we are comfortably placed. What we need to do now as supporters, as workers is to do the work for election day Wednesday.
Noting that "we've seen polls that have been off," Tufton noted that both in 2007 and 2016 when the JLP won the election, the polls conducted by Don Anderson stated that the PNP was marginally ahead.
"So, I'm not going to be overly critical, except to say the real poll for us right now is to do the work on the ground and to ensure that come Wednesday all voters come out and vote for the Jamaica Labour Party. And we are confident in our victory," he added.
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