Editor 's note : Ken Ballen is president of Terror Free Tomorrow : The Center for Public Opinion , a nonprofit institute that researches attitudes toward extremism . Patrick Doherty is deputy director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation , a think tank that promotes ideas across the ideological spectrum . Kenneth Ballen says whoever won the election , Iranians strongly favor free elections and a free press . ( CNN ) -- In a poll conducted three weeks before Iran 's June 12 vote , our nonprofit organizations found a consensus among Iranians , including almost all of those who told us they would vote for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . And that consensus is that Iranians want a truly democratic system . Given Iranians ' own priorities for their government , the events of the past few days may ultimately weaken President Ahmadinejad 's standing -- even among those who did vote to re-elect him . In fact , our survey found that more than 86 percent of Iranians who said they would vote for Ahmadinejad also chose ensuring free elections and a free press as among the most important priorities they have for the Iranian government . The recent events -- the early announcements of election returns , the shutting down of communications networks , the massive protests and now the bloodshed -- have the potential to change what was once an electoral contest into a broader struggle for the soul of the Islamic Republic and the future of Iran itself . Let us be clear : Our polling indicates that the government 's actions run counter to the priorities of almost all Iranians , including its own supporters . And our survey shows beyond dispute that Iranians of all political persuasions want more democratic freedoms , not less . Our op-ed published on Monday has drawn much attention -- and misunderstanding . Our nonprofit organizations conducted the only independent and transparent nationwide public opinion survey in Iran before the June 12 vote . The poll found that Ahmadinejad was leading his nearest opponent , the more reform-minded candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi , by a more than 2-to-1 margin , with almost a third undecided . Our poll concluded three weeks before the election . It does not predict the final vote , nor does it measure a possible surge for Moussavi , which many believe occurred in the final weeks . Instead , as we wrote on Monday , our survey indicates `` the possibility that the vote is not the product of widespread fraud '' because of Ahmadinejad 's formidable early lead . This single finding , however , has obscured our most important findings , and their significance to what is now enfolding in Iran . Nearly 80 percent want the right to vote for all their leaders , including the all-powerful supreme leader , while nearly 90 percent chose free elections and a free press as the most important goals they have for their government -- virtually tied with the top priority of improving the Iranian economy . And here is the most important fact of all : More than 86 percent of those who told us they support Ahmadinejad also choose free elections and a free press as their most important priorities for their leaders . In other words , in our survey , Ahmadinejad supporters back real democratic reforms in Iran as much as supporters of the more avowedly reform candidate Moussavi . Put all together , our polling shows that Ahmadinejad , running a competent campaign , may have had enough support three weeks before the vote to possibly win the election under the electoral rules as they stood . With Ahmadinejad 's early lead , it is possible that the vote reported did actually reflect the will of the Iranian people , though now , it is impossible to know . Analysts pore over `` ambiguous '' election results . Yet the government 's actions since the election may have changed the debate in Iran from being about candidates to being about democracy . While we do not know whether the election results were rigged , the government 's handling of the election itself runs counter to principles of democracy , free press and free elections -- goals our polling shows almost all Iranians , whether or not they support Ahmadinejad , strongly support . Moussavi appears to understand this . Yesterday in a massive rally in Tehran , Moussavi stated as much , saying `` The vote of the people is more important than Moussavi or any other person . '' Meanwhile , the subsequent killing of protesters by government security forces will likely only work against Ahmadinejad and by extension now , the supreme leader , even among more than 86 percent of their supporters . While our poll showed Ahmadinejad with an early commanding lead , by the government 's post-election response , the irony is that Ahmadinejad may indeed end up stealing the election -- from himself . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ken Ballen and Patrick Doherty .
Ballen , Doherty : Iranians , including Ahmadinejad himself , want more votes . They say their poll ca n't know whether Moussavi had a late surge . They say government actions have shifted debate to and not to who won .