The Bean Poll Is Back – And It’s Bigger Than Ever

The largest – and one of the most accurate – election polls is back for 2008.

The Muffin Break Bean Poll will once again give coffee lovers across New Zealand the chance to take part in the ballot of the bean.

At the last election, more than 60,000 people cast their vote in the coffee-scented census, with the results accurately predicting the neck and neck race between Labour and National.

Now, with the election only weeks away, Muffin Break’s 38 stores nationwide are running the Bean Poll again and urging people to cast their beans wisely.

“Your bean could tip the balance of power and determine who’s going to sit in the Beanhive this time,” says Muffin Break’s general manager Garry Croft.

“The official polls vary widely so we want people to sip in the campaign spirit and cast their vote in our unscientific, though surprisingly, accurate survey.”

The original Bean Poll in 2002 correctly picked a Labour win and, when used for the first time in Australia last year, the Bean Poll also picked Kevin Rudd’s Labor victory.

“We’re going to help the nation sort out the has-beans from the wanna-beans. And, as Muffin Break now has more stores than ever before, this election’s Bean Poll will be the biggest yet,” says Croft.

From today (29 September), every Muffin Break store in 14 cities and towns across New Zealand will display a five-cylinder unit, four representing the highest-polling parties in that area in 2005, plus a fifth for the “others”.

Each customer will be offered a coffee bean with their purchase and encouraged to place it in their preferred party’s cylinder.

Croft said Muffin Break would be tallying the votes at the end of each week to track trends, and would announce the percentage totals just before the election on November 8. Weekly results will be posted on www.muffinbreak.co.nz every Friday from October 3.

“As with the previous two New Zealand elections, our Bean Poll is expected to mirror the mood of the nation and should give a very good indication of people’s intentions leading up to the big day.”

Muffin Break stores are in Whangarei, Whangaparaoa, across Auckland, Hamilton, Mt Maunganui, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu, Porirua, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

All political party leaders and presidents have been invited to drop into Muffin Break while they’re on the campaign trail and check out their chances in the 2008 Bean Poll. Local parliamentary candidates are also being asking to call in for a coffee and deposit their bean.

ENDS

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