What are the odds?

I am not a statistician. I have never taken so much as a class in basic statistical theory. I know NOTHING about the subject.

However, I lived the first 54 years of my life in Southern California. Every two years, there was an election. That happens all over this country. EVERY TWO YEARS.

In all the time I lived in California, I could probably count on the fingers on one hand the number of times that a political polling entity called me to ask my opinion on an issue. The closest to any such thing were the "surveys" prepared by the local representative regarding issues he cared about. Those "surveys" were usually worded in a way to elicit a response favorable to the Congressman's opinion or position on the issue.

I have lived in new Mexico for approximately five years. During election season, it seems as though at least once a week, I receive a call from a "polling organization". Some of these are clearly blatent plugs for one candidate or the other. However, at least once a month in the period from July through October, we receive a call that appears to be a legitimate polling inquiry.

Once a month? New Mexico is a SMALL state. We have THREE, count them THREE Congressional districts. We have five electoral votes. True, that's not at the bottom of the numbers, but it isn't very far up.

My question is simple-- Why are pollsters more concerned with the political opinions of a voter living in a small state than they were with the opinions of a person living in one of the largest (population-wise) states in the Country? And yes, in both locations, my telephone number has been listed and available.

What are the statistical odds of my receiving a legitimate poll inquiry once a month in New Mexico and yet only once every five years in California?

I have not looked (in the Almanac of American Politics) at the voting percentages of my old California district and my New Mexico district. Perhaps New Mexico citizens vote at a much higher percentage than Californians. That could be a partial explanation.

It's not because in California I was working, and now I am retired. The calls generally come after six p.m. I was home in California by then.

Why am I more important now when I am living in a MUCH smaller state? My experience makes me question the validity of the polls.

But as I said at the beginning, I have never studied statistics.