Charles Franklin was the co-developer of Pollster.com where he
created the graphics and Pollster's "Trend Estimator". His
work at Pollster (with Mark Blumenthal) became a widely cited
source of non-partisan analysis of polling trends, winning the
"Innovator's Award"' in 2007 from the American
Association for Public Opinion Research, cited by the New York
Times Magazine as one of the "Year in Ideas of 2008"' and
picked by Edward Tufte for best visualization of the 2008 election.
Pollster.com was named by Time Magazine one of the "50 Best
Websites of 2009."
In 2008, Franklin was co-director of The Big Ten Poll which
conducted polls in the Big Ten states and nationally. He is also an
election night consultant for ABC News's Election Night
Decision Desk and has been a member of the executive committees of
a number of scientific and professional organizations.
His day job is professor of political science at the University of
Wisconsin, Madison, where he teaches advanced statistical methods
to graduate students and teaches practical and applied methods to
undergraduates interested in political careers in campaigns and
public opinion. His academic research focuses on advanced
statistical and graphical analysis of public opinion and election
outcomes. Franklin has served on numerous scientific boards,
including the National Election Study. He and co-author Liane
Kosaki received the "Lasting Contribution Award" in 2009 from the
Law and Courts section of the American Political Science
Association for their work on the Supreme Court and public opinion.
He is past president of the Society for Political Methodology, and
was elected a Fellow of the Society in 2009.
