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Election season is approaching and several polls measuring voter preferences have popped up in recent weeks.

Calgarians can expect a call pretty soon, if they haven't received one already, from automated pollsters asking a variety of election related questions.

Many of the polls will be commissioned by the parties that can afford them.

"Basically those types of push polls are cheap, they're quick to do and they're used for tactical purposes rather than find out who is going to vote for who," said Bruce Cameron of Return on Insight Polling.

The polls are less often about who you are voting for and more often about who they want you to vote for.

"That's partly why they're called push polls. They push people's buttons, they really try to get people to react by giving a statement and saying do you agree or disagree and it may be an inflammatory statement," said Cameron.

Polls can also be skewed by what they are not asking.

An automated poll being conducted across the province this week asks about the leaders and policies of all parties with a legislative seat but the Alberta Party was not included.

"We are only two years old. I recognize that we are new, we are young but I think its a matter of being treated fairly," said Sue Huff of the Alberta Party.

The people paying for the polls decide what is said and what is asked and it is up to the voters to figure out their motivation.

"Too often they get fixated on the 19 times out of 20, three percent margin of error, as opposed to looking at what were the questions. How representative was the sample? Who was doing the polling? How was it done? Those are the more important questions," said Duane Bratt, from Mount Royal University.

Pollsters say parties are not just looking for votes when they conduct the poll. People who are the most vocal in their support of a party may also be contacted throughout the campaign for financial support.