Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The What and Who of Exit Polls 2008

The What and Who of Exit Polls 2008
Who Conducts Exit Polls; Who Pays Them and Should You Participate?

Do Exit Polls Affect Your Vote?
Exit polls have been criticized as shaping the way the electorate votes. Exit polls 2008 are no exception, and with so many contentious state and county measures on the ballots - not to mention the close presidential race - watchful eyes scrutinize presidential exit polls reported by CNN and Fox News as well as other networks.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the television networks are well aware of the potential for influencing the way you vote through exit polls, and for this reason NBC reportedly has decided not to call a race until the margin of error "is less than 1 in 200." The 2004 John Kerry loss -- that originally was predicted to be a win - is still too fresh a memory to discount a change in handling 2008 exit polls.
Who Conducts Presidential Exit Polls?
The company in charge of handling exit polls 2008 and funneling the information to CNN, Fox, NBC, the Associated Press, as well as ABC and CBS, is Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. The company discloses that its method of exit polling consists of locating about 1,000 polling places where to set up shop. Their goal is a total of at least 100,000 voter interviews.
Where Are Exit Polls And Do I Have To Participate?
Presidential exit polls - undoubtedly of highest interest in the contentious 2008 election - are located in areas thought to offer a representative segment of the electorate. You may never have seen a pollster around your polling place, and unless your neighborhood matches a computer generated profile, the odds are good that you won't.
Moreover, if your polling place is selected, exit poll takers do not ask each and every voter emerging from the building about their votes. Some select at random; others follow a preset pattern of interviewing only every 9th, 15th, or nth voter. It is noteworthy that you do not have to participate. Answering questions during exit polls is entirely voluntary.

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