politics

Bloggers Confront Exit Polls, Pollsters, Each Other

As MSM polling specialists go into lockdown, bloggers give their thoughts.
November 7, 2006

Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that, “Two-by-two, polling specialists from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and the Associated Press will go into rooms in New York and Washington shortly before noon Tuesday. Their cellphones and BlackBerrys will be confiscated; proctors will monitor the doors; and for the next five hours, these experts will pore over exit poll data from across the country.”

The article continues, quoting Marc Ambinder, associate editor of National Journal‘s Hotline On Call, who explains, “The demand for info is intense, and if the safeguards aren’t steel doors bolting people inside a room, it will get out. The insatiable appetite for this info will overwhelm the ability to keep it secret.”

Some bloggers took the opportunity to deride the Drudge Report and other blogs for prematurely posting exit polls in 2004.

“The big bucks made by the MSM through their advertising clients is going into security to keep exit polling data out of the hands of evil bloggers,” writes Desi at Mia Culpa. “Polling data mind you has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity or security of the vote you cast, it’s just what it says, the information gleaned as people exit the polls today. If this information was leaked to bloggers it could be spread all through the tubes of the Internets, be accessible to users of the Google in a New York minute, and that my friends would lead to a possible nervous breakdown of a Faux news broadcaster or perhaps even Matt Drudge. That would really be ugly.”

“For those who can’t wait for the results, you can always try to divine them from whatever Web site (such as the Drudge Report or the Daily Kos) publishes leaked early exit polls — though in 2004 Democrats around the country were prematurely celebrating George W. Bush’s defeat when the early exit polls turned out to be highly erroneous,” writes Michael Levy at Britannica Blog. “And, for those of you who can’t wait even that long, below I predict with absolutely certainty (OK, absolute uncertainty) what’s going to happen.”

Others request the release of more exit polls, earlier in the day.

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“Perhaps the best thing to do is publish exit polls continuously through the day. Only then will the public see that they’re inaccurate and near meaningless, especially early in the day,” writes Stephen Baker of Blogspotting, the BusinessWeek Online blog. “If reporters are locked up without their cell phones and Blackberries, interest in the exit polls is sure to rise. Why? People naturally suspect that secrets are worth knowing. To be sure, I’m not saying that I’d blog lea[k] exit polls here. I’ll let others handle this dirty work for the common good.”

“As usual, the Liberal Main Stream Media wants to keep the dirty bloggers from getting the exit poll info,” writes Wonkette. “It’s so nice of them, to keep us in the dark until 11:28 p.m. or whatever … You are staffers, campaign workers, reporters, drug dealers, male hookers, bartenders and taxi drivers (who kill by night). You will see and hear the secret information, and you must send it to Wonkette. Send your info from a Yahoo or Gmail account. You don’t want to get killed!”

Another lays out a game plan to blog locally.

“My plan for today is to go directly to my voting place, Dalewood Middle School in Inglewood in order to cast my vote,” writes Brittney of Nashville is Talking. “I’ll take notes while in line about the process, the wait, any potential problems that may arise. I’ll come back to the station to pick up a Wi-Fi enabled laptop that I will then take to Belmont Heights Baptist Church, a polling place where I can get broadband access. My plan is to set up camp near the polling exit and do some live-blogging … I’ll attempt to do an informal exit poll, though my plans may be thwarted. It will be Election Day coverage of local blogs, as well as some reports from an active polling site. Once the polling place closes, or when things get dead and boring, I’ll come back to the station to continue blogging until the numbers are all in or I’m otherwise told I can leave.”

One blogger, though, addresses the exit pollsters head on.

“Attention, Exit Pollsters! If you ask me any questions as I leave the polling place tomorrow, I am going to outright lie to your face,” writes Sarcastro at Watching the Defectives. “It will be like you are talking to Bizarro-Sarcastro. I encourage everyone within the sound of my typing to do the same. Consider that fair warning.”

Mark Boyer was a CJR intern.