The Drudge Report has published a McCain campaign memo advising members (and reminding them) about the historical inaccuracy of exit polling releases during Election Day.
As we have seen in previous election cycles, the exit poll results do leak early and that ends up influencing the coverage of the race before even the first state polls close at 6:00 PM Eastern.However, we want to remind the campaign that the media's own post-election study of the exit polls in 2004 showed that the exit polls overstate the Democratic candidate's support. Therefore, we would discourage a rush to judgment based on the exit polls and wait until there has been a representative sampling of actual tabulated results from a variety of counties and precincts in a state.
Here are the key points to keep in mind when the exit poll data starts being leaked:
1. Historically, exit polls have tended to overstate the Democratic vote.
2. The exit polls are likely to overstate the Obama vote because Obama voters are more likely to participate in the exit poll.
3. The exit polls have tended to skew most Democratic in years where there is high turnout and high vote interest like in 1992 and 2004.
4. It is not just the national exit poll that skews Democratic, but each of the state exit polls also suffers from the same Democratic leanings.
5. The results of the exit polls are also influenced by the demographics of the voters who conduct the exit polls.
Missing is Point #6:
- Exit Polls are not taken at every polling location, and tend to center around large cities, which are already more heavily Democrat than Republican.
Add that important piece of information and you begin to fully understand how Kerry's premature landslide announcement could have come to be.
Ignore it all and vote. When the winner is announced in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, you will be hearing the only exit poll that matters. And it should include your vote, one way or the other.



Comments (4)
Text I got:US2B a'... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Yogurt | November 3, 2008 5:54 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Text I got:
US2B a'bama'nation
I gotta agree....
1. Posted by Yogurt | November 3, 2008 5:54 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on November 3, 2008 17:54
2. Posted by Sheik Yur Bouty | November 3, 2008 6:27 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yogurt,
If you mean 'Roll Tide', that's at least possible.
Any other meaning...not gonna happen.
2. Posted by Sheik Yur Bouty | November 3, 2008 6:27 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 3, 2008 18:27
3. Posted by Bush'sdog | November 3, 2008 7:21 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Also, NObama has polled higher than the actual vote cast.
3. Posted by Bush'sdog | November 3, 2008 7:21 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on November 3, 2008 19:21
4. Posted by Tammy | November 3, 2008 10:55 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Folks, I'm signing off tonight and leaving you with the inspiring words of Winston Churchill from October, 1941 while the Germans were bombing England: "Never give in--never, never, never never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
To all you regulars here, you know I'm referring to y'all. Love ya--peace out.
4. Posted by Tammy | November 3, 2008 10:55 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 3, 2008 22:55