Media members attempt to interview voters as they leave a site. If they agree, they fill out a short questionnaire and place it in a ballot box. If they don't, the interviewer notes the gender and approximate age and race of that voter. Topics that voters will typically get asked questions about include important issues, like the state of the nation's economy. News organizations have to be extra careful before releasing data from exit polls. Therefore, they compare results to pre-election polls, past precinct voting history, and have statisticians and political experts carefully review the data. Poll results are weighted using the actual vote count to make the data more accurate after the polls close. States where people voted early are harder to track. In such cases, telephone polls are conducted to reach those voters then the data is combined with the exit poll data to provide a complete portrait of all voters. Some initial exit poll data and demographic information about voter turnout should be available sometime after 5 p.m. EST on Election Day.
Comments