Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Repeat: Don't Trust the Exit Polls

You can find many, many people online warning people not to trust the exit polls. The following anecdote is getting a lot of press and is of course impossible to verify.
I noticed this account of an exit pollster in Stafford, Virginia:
08:32 – AP doing exit polling in Stafford. Talking 4 to 1 to minorities over whites at a Republican precinct (Falmouth). Expect it to be skewed. Don’t trust the exit polls as they start to trickle out.
Only an anecdote, but not promising. Are the exit pollsters aiming for egg on their faces two presidential races in a row?
One story does not an epidemic make. But last election the exit polling was horribly inaccurate. If you were wondering how, this story is illustrative.

No comments: