Exit poll analysts going to great lengths to get it right

[jefferson_dem]

Exit poll analysts going to great lengths to get it right
They'll be sequestered to prevent early leaks that can cost credibility.

By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2006

NEW YORK — Haunted by the bungled calls and leaked information that plagued the coverage of the last three nationwide elections, networks are taking no chances when it comes to Tuesday's midterm.

This time around, the members of the National Election Pool — a consortium of five broadcast and cable networks and the Associated Press that commissions exit polls of the major races — have decided to sequester two analysts from each news organization in a secret "quarantine room" in New York, where they alone will get access to the first waves of data from precincts around the country.

Stripped of their cellphones and BlackBerrys — and even monitored when they use the bathroom — the representatives will be able to study the results of the surveys but will not be allowed to communicate them to their newsrooms until 5 p.m. EST. They must sign affidavits guaranteeing that they will not reveal any data before then.

The drastic measures are necessary, news executives said, to prevent the leaks that occurred in the 2004 presidential race, when early exit poll results indicating that Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) was in the lead rocketed through cyberspace.

<SNIP>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-et-tv4nov04,0,2528626.story?coll=la-home-nation

[Nay]

1. Gosh, they act like the exit polls were wrong. Guys, what if you were

RIGHT and the votes were stolen inside the machines? Put some people on that, willya?

[Cooley Hurd]

2. The exit polling in 2000 and 2004 were ultimately found to be CORRECT!

I'm a bit uneasy about "quarantining" analysts, though...:(

[liberal N proud]

3. They had it right in 00 an 04

Why do they not understand, bu$h did not win the election by votes. The Exit polls were correct.

[suston96]

7. Exit polls were right.....

Diebold calibrated results were used to intimidate pollsters who, uh - recalibrated their exit polling. Remember?

This is a chance for the networks and their experts to use that generally dependable exit polling mechanism to validate their past results - both the exit pollsters numbers and the networks announcements.

Someday, very soon, exit polling won't be needed. Transparent election monitoring will replace exit polling as the people take back their elections and monitor all phases of an election from the casting of a vote to the final tabulating of the totals.

And hopefully all the machines will have been killed and everything will be done by hand - the people's hands.

[dkofos]

21. You forgot 02

[ananda]

4. You know what this sounds like?

It sounds as though the networks plan to doctor exit polls based on
actual results. Sheesh.

This is just another peg in the plan to fraud the vote in favor of Reeps.

[SoCalDem]

26. Ding Ding Ding..we have a winner

[Demeter]

5. Another Truly Bizarre Development--It Must Be Rove

I am trying but for the life of me I cannot see the purpose behind these steps.

Does somebody think that the pollsters are colluding to make false results?

What purpose would that serve? I think this smells of a Big Rove Red Herring.

[PATRICK]

6. Prevents Dem momentum

NOw they they get a clue about the abuses of early data release when the real problem is shifting poll analysis to match tabulation results! This sudden attack of reform is only GOP inspired to confirm results not insure that discrepancies are uncovered(the ONLY democratic value of these polls in the first place). The absolutely irresponsible attitude of the "innocent" media schleps is that THEY don't want to be embarrassed by polls on election night and are grimly foregoing their scooping the results(to the detriment of ongoing balloting).

There should be an strong alternative to rival this treacherous infotainment scam that is loud large and fair. All the exit polls in corporate media baskets is dangerous in whatever country they predominate- in pure essence of their harmfully skewed judgment and ties to the administration. Instead we have a backscratching consortium to control the polling results from a to z.

[Zenlitened]

8. They were right the last time. And the time before that.

:kick:

[w4rma]

9. As long as noone is feeding them information other than exactly what they need to analyse

the exit polls. And as long as people like relatives of the Bush's aren't one of the folks inside the room.

Then this might be a good idea, since it will help convince some Republicans that their exit polls are correct.

[Pirate Smile]

10. The Republicans have already told people the Exit Polls will be WRONG

AGAIN so don't worry about it.

Hmmmm. How would they know that?

I saw that yesterday - I think it was Melman that told a private group of Republicans that - I saw it on DU or Daily Kos. Did anyone else see it? I'll try to find it.

[Divine Discontent]

13. well I hope you have money....

cuz I'll need someone to help support me in my move to DC to march for democracy's sake! If they steal this election, it will be BEYONDDDDDDDDDDDD transparent to us all. The 00 election was a painful "acceptance" that Bush's people played the better hand, using the SCOTUS against us, and we allowed it. The '04 was screwed up with nailbiter finish and the Osama tape "allowing" Bush to squeak out a victory but the OH dirty play by Blackwell made us all scratch our heads when we saw the exit polling saying Kerry won clearly, and now with this country in the SHITTER they (repuke) are talking like they're going to steal this one! If they do, I'll quit my job and go east, because I want in part of marching for our country, there's no way in the world that this corrupt, stinking party can hold on to the house, and certainly, with all the scandals with the MT. and VA. senators, eke out more than a 50/50 split of the senate.


www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[VegasWolf]

18. Diebold to the Republicans rescue. One would think that liberals would

be much better at hacking those damn machines, after all, we are so much smarter.

[texpatriot2004]

11. The Exit Polls were right before and they will be right again.

Exit Polls are used all over the world to measure reliability of the results.

[splat]

12. Bulletproofing exit polls as a control group to expose fraud

If the exit polls differ from the result this time, they'll know which set of data is dirty. It's the only way to gather evidence.

[librechik]

14. we need the raw data--everything else is a distraction

this is appalling

why are even the exit polls gripped in corporate Republican hands?

our democracy is a cruel illusion.

[Acadia Blue]

15. This is so bloody depressing to me. I just feel demoralized. We

need to take to the streets with pots and pans and bang them like they do in Latin America.

[Doctor_J]

16. More like "get it Right"

could well be part of the fix

[MasonJar]

17. It's easier to adjust to what the networks want that way. Now the

steal can be more easily accomplished without controversy.

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. preview of what we'll see Wednesday

"Exit polls showed that the number one issue concerning voters in this election was hurting George W. Bush. Apparently voters felt the best way to do that keep control of congress in the hands of Republicans."

[TexasLawyer]

20. Not this crap again!

"Of course, the leaking of early data wasn't the only problem in 2004. By the end of election day, the exit polls continued to show Kerry ahead of President Bush, a problem news directors attributed in part to the fact that Democrats have historically been more willing to answer the surveys than Republicans."

[dchill]

22. And the exit polls will be wrong again...

unless someone can steal Rove's cell phone on Nov 8.

[Doremus]

23. Why don't Dems hire their own exit poll?

I suppose it'd be discounted for partisanship, but what are the alternatives to allowing MSM toadies complete control?

I mean, we have to depend on the MSM for impartiality and accuracy? Those are oxymorons.

[Mabus]

24. But, but, what about early voters?

I took some people to vote via Advanced Ballot yesterday. The parking lot was packed and it took close to 15 minutes for my friends to vote as there was a bit of a line. I didn't see anyone doing exit polling there. Also, I'm voting by advanced ballot, as are a lot of people I know, so we will all be available to work on Tuesday. We've already voted so we won't be part of the exit polling. How do they figure in people like us early voters?

[Joanne98]

25. It sounds like they are making sure the REAL numbers don't get out.