Steve Raabe Speaks at Eggscellence for October 27th Program to Predict Outcome of Local and Presidential Elections in Anne Arundel County

The Central Chesapeake Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America welcomes Steve Raabe, founder and president of Annapolis based polling firm OpinionWorks, as speaker at PRSA’s October 27 luncheon meeting. On the eve of the November 8 election he will reveal fascinating insights about the voters of Anne Arundel County. For example, Governor Hogan has ordered schools to open after labor day statewide with statewide polling support. How does Anne Arundel compare with Howard, Baltimore and Montgomery Counties in these polls? The program will be held at Eggcelence Restaurant, 2625 Housley Rd, Annapolis, beginning at noon. The cost is $25 for PRSA members and $30 for non-members. Reservations should be made by October 25 at www.PRSAChesapeake.com More information at 410-271-1498.

Raabe will discuss Piggy Back polls that can be a cost effective tool for PR folks. On-line polls are growing in popularity. Are they as accurate as telephone polling? He will discuss the polling for the Maryland Senate race his firm has conducted. He will break down local and regional races breaking out how the Anne Arundel vote will go. And finally with hats being thrown into the ring for the Annapolis Mayors race in two years, just how vulnerable is our current Mayor?

Steve Raabe and his staff conduct research for statewide, regional and local clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Among their areas of focus are advocacy, health care, Chesapeake Bay restoration, education, and media. “With the fracturing of the media landscape today, it is increasingly difficult to penetrate many audiences with new ideas. Our research focuses on understanding hard-to-reach audiences and breaking down the barriers to civil conversation,” Raabe says.

Founded in 2001 and based in Annapolis, OpinionWorks has recently conducted polling and other research in such issues as the upcoming federal election and Baltimore City mayoral election, state and local taxes, causes of littering behavior, attitudes about fracking and new energy sources, environmental stewardship and healthy eating. OpinionWorks’ clients include The Baltimore Sun, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, Anne Arundel County, and state and local government agencies across the country, including a study of barriers to voting in Oregon’s unique vote-by-mail system for Multnomah County (Portland) this spring.

OpinionWorks has developed an active Spanish-language research arm, conducting focus groups in three Latin American Counties this year and surveying audiences throughout that region on various issues. With upcoming focus groups in Anchorage, Seattle, and Spokane, OpinionWorks will have conducted groups from Alaska to Chile in 2016.
Before founding OpinionWorks, Raabe was for 10 years executive vice president and director of research for a public affairs firm in Washington DC.

The Central Chesapeake Chapter of the PRSA offers public relations professionals in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties the opportunity to learn new skills and network with other area professionals. PRSA is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners with more than 21,000 public relations and communications professionals across the United States. For more information, visit the chapter website www.prsachesapeake.com, Facebook page www.facebook.com/PRSAChesapeake or Twitter page www.twitter.com/PRSAChesapeake.