Wedgwood Polling Admits Fabricating Data After Being Listed by Major Poll Aggregators

Wedgwood Polling admitted that it fabricated polling data after its releases were included by major polling aggregators, including The New York Times, Fifty Plus One, and VoteHub.

“Despite the lack of history, official credentials, or actual data in the majority of our releases, Wedgwood Polling has been added to major polling aggregators such as The New York Times, Fifty Plus One, and VoteHub, and has repeatedly been treated as a legitimate news source,” the company said in a statement.

Fifty Plus One said it had been preparing to publish an article exposing the alleged fraud and had sent Wedgwood a request for comment. Instead of responding, the polling company published a statement on social media acknowledging that it had fabricated the data. Fifty Plus One wrote about the incident.

Why the FCC issue matters

The three organizations named by Wedgwood—Fifty Plus One, The New York Times, and VoteHub—are polling aggregators, not broadcast stations or news networks whose programs air on local stations.

This distinction is important because Kerr has repeatedly said that the FCC’s regulatory authority will be used only against broadcasters licensed to use public spectrum, not against news organizations that do not hold an FCC license. Carr’s post warned broadcasters to “adhere to their public interest obligations” under the “conditions of their federal licenses.”

How poll aggregators reviewed Wedgwood

Wedgwood maintained that its data had not been subject to sufficient scrutiny by the press. However, Fifty Plus One, The New York Times, and VoteHub each said they conducted some level of review before using the poll.

Fifty Plus One said it contacted Wedgwood, asked about the people behind the organization, and reviewed the methodology published on its website. The company identified Jack Sims and Andrew Prater as its representatives. Fifty Plus One said it independently confirmed that Sims had experience in the polling industry and found no reason at the time to believe Wedgwood was not legitimate.

“Their statement alleges that Fifty Plus One, The New York Times and other poll aggregators do not conduct their own proper research before compiling the polls. This is incorrect. We contacted them, asked who they were, and reviewed the description of their methodology on their website. Two names were given: Jack Sims and Andrew Prater. We were able to independently confirm that Sims has experience in the polling industry and review their methodology description in detail.”

“It’s not uncommon for pollsters to leave existing companies and start their own companies, putting their own money into some of the research to build a reputation. We had no reason at the time to believe this incident was any different. Wedgwood operated as if it were a legitimate polling company, including collecting money from donors to conduct crowdfunded polls and sharing raw poll data—now confirmed to be fraudulent—with Fifty Plus One on October 15, 2026.”

VoteHub and The New York Times respond

Zachary Donnini, VoteHub’s head of data science, said that after speaking with Wedgwood’s “lead pollster,” VoteHub assigned the organization a D rating and published its voting data on the site.

The New York Times also updated its latest polling page with a statement about Wedgwood.