In Strength in Numbers, data journalist G. Elliott Morris argues that the larger purpose of political polls is to improve democracy, not just predict elections. Whether used by interest groups, the press, or politicians, polling serves as a pipeline from the governed to the government, giving citizens influence they would otherwise lack. Morris takes readers from the first semblance of data-gathering in the ancient world through modern-day scientific polling. He reveals how data can be distorted and misrepresented and demystifies the real uncertainty of polling.