A very brief Wednesday morning thought.

Ultimately, "what democracy looks like" is people going into booths, voting by secret ballot, coming out, and not being compelled or pressured to reveal publicly how they voted -- not to polling organizations, not to employers, not to anybody.

Comments

[Kate]

there are plenty of countries where exit polls are outright illegal - i know the restrictions are a lot more formidable in canada than the usa.

[Cathie]

I thought it would be, "Where are Milo's sandals?"
Call me!

[bearing]

@Kate, are you in Canada?

I am not bothered too much by the existence of exit polls, but I find it fascinating that they are often so far off from the election results. It may be obvious to Midwestern readers that I am thinking about the Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election that concluded last night -- the news organizations all said it was "too close to call" as soon as they were allowed to say anything, but it wound up being not particularly close at all.

Now that I think of it, I can think of several reasons why exit polling (of the "whom did you just vote for?" type) might be troubling. When they differ significantly from the election results, there is always a chance that they will detract from the perceived legitimacy of the election. (You will find people online suggesting, for instance, that the exit polls are believable and the official results are not -- suggesting that the votes have been tampered with). Second, there is the possibility of introducing an element of voter intimidation. Third -- well, they just don't seem to be all that accurate, so what's the point from an information-gathering standpoint?

[Kate]

Erin,

Yes, I'm in Canada (I moved back in with my parents in October, previously I had lived in Louisiana). And I've been hearing all about the WI recall today because my parents follow US politics like some people follow major league sports. ;-)

Here in Canada, election polling is regulated as campaign material, and is subject to an election day blackout like all campaign materials.