Which of the following polls would yield the most scientifically accurate results? a) an exit poll conducted on Election Day in major swing states
b) a poll of active voters conducted through surveys sent through the mail
c) a poll of random households conducted door-to-door in major swing states
d) a telephone poll randomly conducted using landlines and cell phones around the country

The term “exit poll” conjures images of nerds in oversized suits and thick glasses, standing outside the doors of elementary school gymnasiums across the nation, asking voters about their votes as they walk out and jotting down the data on clipboards.

The term “exit poll” conjures images of nerds in oversized suits and thick glasses, standing outside the doors of elementary school gymnasiums across the nation, asking voters about their votes as they walk out and jotting down the data on clipboards.I hate to break it to you, but that’s not how it works anymore.

The term “exit poll” conjures images of nerds in oversized suits and thick glasses, standing outside the doors of elementary school gymnasiums across the nation, asking voters about their votes as they walk out and jotting down the data on clipboards.I hate to break it to you, but that’s not how it works anymore.While it is true that part of the Exit Poll is conducted by in-person interviewers at polling locations, this now represents a small percentage of the final batch of data that gets reported, and dwindling every year. In fact, in-person interviews are only held at a select few polling locations in a select few states, chosen by researchers for that particular precinct’s high number of a key voting demographic, or the likelihood that that precinct will be a “bellwether” of sorts for a city, county, district, state, or even the nation’s overall voting patterns.