In The New York Times' "Campaign Stops" blog, Temple mathematician John Allen Paulos argues that most conventional political polls are simplistic. Many observers complain that media coverage of the campaign is too focused on the "horse race." In some ways, though, the coverage isn't even as nuanced as that of a horse race, where horses are picked to win, but also to place or to show." A better way to gauge voter preferences, writes Paulos: "Ask prospective voters to rank the candidates and not merely say which one is their first choice."