Miss Maud kicks off bean poll

Miss Maud Coffee House is again running its election coffee bean poll to give customers a fun way of taking part in a "bean vote" count.

An electoral barometer of Perth's coffee drinkers, the bean poll has predicted the outcome of almost every Federal election since 1996.

It is apparently so accurate, politicians allegedly follow it.

Customers, who drop a coffee bean into a tube to indicate who they will vote for, are expected to cast about 40,000 bean votes at the chain's 18 stores between now and polling day on August 21.

Previous results suggest the bean poll could be to the election what Paul the octopus was to the soccer World Cup.

Chain owner Maud Edmiston said the poll was designed to stimulate conversation over a hot brew. "In the beginning it was just pure fun," she said. "I still want it to be fun, but political parties do give us a call."