A University of Wisconsin professor who signed a personal contract with a conservative think tank last summer is now being accused of aiding the agency in the manipulation of poll results.

Political science professor Ken Goldstein formed an independent relationship with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Aug. 28, 2009, by signing a contract that granted him the ability to conduct statewide polls through WPRI.

Originally approached by WPRI in June, Goldstein contacted Political Science Department Chairperson John Coleman, who then sought and received UW’s approval for pursuing a possible relationship.

In order to give graduate students and faculty access to the statewide polling process and subsequent data, UW also sought to create a university-wide partnership with the institute, Goldstein said.

He added although UW began the process of drafting this contract July 20, they had not yet finished it as of the end of August, which was problematic since WPRI polling was scheduled to begin in September.

Therefore, Goldstein received permission from Coleman to sign an independent contract with WPRI before the UW contract was completed so he could serve as the chief conductor for the polls.

“I wasn’t hiding anything,” Goldstein said. “There were no secrets because I received everyone’s approval.”

Executive Director Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now, an issue advocacy organization that supports progressive causes, was deeply concerned when he heard about Goldstein’s association with WPRI, a prominent right-wing think tank.

“We were immediately worried about the credibility of the poll and more importantly, the credibility of the university,” Ross said.

Ross added One Wisconsin Now filed an open records request with UW and obtained emails which proved Goldstein and WPRI manipulated polling data about government funding of school vouchers to present a more politically-palatable answer to WPRI’s donors.

The organization discovered the corporate interests at WPRI pressured Goldstein to alter the presentation of the poll results to reflect a narrow right-wing agenda, Ross said.

Ross added the problem did not deal simply with a skewing of the polls’ results, but also with what questions the polls’ conductors refused to ask.

“The fact that WPRI’s poll concerning health care did not ask Americans their opinion on a public option is a glaring example of manipulation,” Ross said.

Goldstein vehemently disagrees with these accusations and states he is not sure there has ever been a poll more publicly released than the recent WPRI poll.

Goldstein added One Wisconsin Now has displayed a number of inaccuracies, such as in their recent petition, which claims UW is managing the polls even though they do not have a polling contract with WPRI.

“It’s just a lie,” Goldstein said.

By the end of the week Goldstein will have released another poll into the field that will have no affiliation with UW.

All future polls conducted by Goldstein and WPRI will be looked at very skeptically by all media outlets, Ross said.