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What are exit polls? What might they mean on election night?
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What are exit polls? What might they mean on election night?

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After months of campaigning and fierce competition between candidates, Election Day it’s finally here. As the polls close and votes begin to be counted across the county, Americans will begin to wait to decide. results From local and national elections.

One tool used to try to make sense of the frenzy is exit polls, usually conducted as voters leave or exit polling places. Accordingly NBC NewsThis is the only national poll of known voters in the country.

Polls help news organizations like USA TODAY understand what the results might mean as the night progresses. While these aren’t the official results from the counts, they at least help give an idea of ​​which candidates may be ahead.

As election night approaches, here’s how exit polls work and what they might mean.

Who conducts exit polls?

Edison Research Conducting exit polls since 2003 NBC News. These surveys are conducted on behalf of the nation. National Selection PoolA network group that includes ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News.

These four organizations pool their resources to conduct an exit survey operation, then each organization independently analyzes and reports the results of the survey.

What questions are asked in the exit survey?

According to NBC News, during the exit poll, voters are asked a variety of questions, including who they voted for for president and their votes for other local and statewide candidates.

Voters are also asked other, slightly broader questions: “What is the most important issue for your vote?”

Voters are also asked to answer demographic questions such as race, age and gender.

How are exit polls conducted?

Accordingly Edison ResearchSurveys are conducted using one of three methods. Edison Research says it reaches mail voters by phone, email and text.

For in-person early voters and election day voters, pollsters are stationed outside polling places to ask these survey questions in person. They also say exit surveys are anonymous because there is no way to link an exit survey’s responses to a specific person.

How many people are interviewed for exit surveys?

NBC News says the national survey will include nearly 20,000 interviews, including in-person Election Day. Moreover, this total number includes 1,500-2,500 participants in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, respectively.

Edison Research says In 2020, it managed to reach more than 100,000 voters, including 30,000 by phone before Election Day.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. He is USA TODAY’s trending news reporter. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.