November 4, 2008
Posted: 07:29 PM ET

From
 Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

(CNN) – Remember the exit polls during the Bush-Kerry race?

Ask President Kerry how much faith we should put on exit polls.

Point: If the exit polls are as wrong this year as they were four years ago, we might expect to see a closer race in some battleground states than people suspect. May not be enough to turn the electoral map upside down, but stay tuned.

Filed under: Exit Polls


Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

No i don't think that we should trust the polls, they didn't seem to be as accurate as people thought in the primaries, as well as the Bush/Kerry election.

John Q Cynic   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

Don't trust the exit polls, it givers commentators something to slice, and dice as the real votes are tallied for the books.

Florida   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

Please for the love of God…if something was to happen to McCain Lord help us all if Sarah is in charge!! She will wink me to death!!

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

"President Kerry????"

Dream on, and check your history.

Lorena M   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

I do not trust exit polls, we should just wait for the people to vote and then we can speculate what the trends will be.

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

Exit polls are usually an excellent indicator. They aren't the vote, but they have rarely differed substantially from the actual popular vote. That they did in 2004 suggests that there was widespread election fraud.

Later events show that this is true, though the perpetrators of the election fraud now both hide behind shields of incompetence and suppressed information.

dave   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

If McCain wins, it will be rough for him to do anything with a house and senate that fight him on everything. Much like the past two years under Bush. If Obama gets it, then the bottom could, and will likely, drop out the bottom quickly with no checks in the system in place. No balance.

Lets face it, the two party system sucks.

We are a spoiled nation, and we need to wake up from the dream life we grow up expecting, and realize that the real American dream is realized by everyone who is willing to do what it takes to get it. that would be work for what you want. Now we do have some that are not able to do this, but the majority of our welfare babies come crying that we dont do enough, are just too lazy to do what it takes to be successful.

This is a no win election. Expect the fincial woes to get worse if you are waiting for the government to bail you out.

Sal   November 4th, 2008 7:55 pm ET

I've never experienced an exit poll, but I've always said if I was asked questions that I would probably just tell them the opposite of how I voted. I think people just want to mess with the media.

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:54 pm ET

People lie… Its a fact. So if people are giving the data to people who are polling than that would only lead me to believe that its all a lie…

Julie   November 4th, 2008 7:54 pm ET

I would suggest that conservatives would be less apt to want to participate in an exit poll as we do not trust the press. That could explain a lot.

Debbie   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

From my perspective exit polls are absolutely worthless. I'm 43 yrs old and voted in every election since I was old enough and in at least 3 states and have never once been questioned after leaving the polls; I've never even seen anyone asking so it is not because I chose not to be asked. I saw nobody at my precinct this morning.

G. Giles   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

Some folks voted on electronic voting machines with straight ticket as a Democrat with Obama for President and then voted individually, which therefore cancels out the straight ticket and the votes individually are counted but the vote for President is not. First time ever that there has been a notice to this effect, which many people are not reading….and the clincher is that they were told to do it this way. So…if their vote got cancelled for Obama, is it the fault of the machines that cancelled out the vote for President, or the person who voted incorrectly only because the machines are set up that way, thinking they were doing it correctly. How many Republicans are going to have the same problem? Is it not odd that all of the stories about the votes being switched are never of a Democrat being chosen over a Republican? If the Republicans win due to stealing the vote, which I think is possible because I think they have done it twice before and folks don't want to believe it. IF it happens again, and enough people feel that it has been stolen again, I hope they stand up and say something this time around. Otherwise, Democracy as we know it is dead. If there is a company which seems to have proprietary interests in the voting machine process and there is no way for persons who voted to verify that their vote was counted the way they intended, then where is the Democracy? I feel the future of everything is at stake here tonight. I pray that the hearts and minds of the people who truly want change will be answered tonight. May the people's vote be heard tonight. Amen

Jordan   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

we should trust them four years ago the exit polls were wrong because of the touch screen voting. That is why they were wrong.

Phil   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

Why is some ignorant Canadian making comments about a US election. McCain should win by a landslide. Are you saying my vote for McCain is stolen? Saying this election will be stolen is completely idiotic and shallow. A sign of a very poor loser. The silent majority is still voting and guess what? – they're not you (thank goodness).

Najam   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

McCain win would certainly mean that serious rigging has taken place. There is no way, so many Americans can be foolish to vote for people who have played havoc with the country's fate and almost brought it to doom. If McCain wins, then Americans voting for him are foolish.

Jon   November 4th, 2008 7:53 pm ET

The problem is when exit polls are dramatically different from the electronic voting 'results' that are produced from a DieBold voting computer.
Hopefully, if such rampant differences exist like last time, the media won't bend over and accept it. Hopefully, they'll explore it and reveal it.

Vivian M.   November 4th, 2008 7:52 pm ET

The only exit poll I care about is the one polling G.W. Bush on the way out. Gobama!

Alain James   November 4th, 2008 7:52 pm ET

Exit polls should be outlawed.

They are a violation of privacy.
They are a violation of the sanctity of the secret ballot.

They also are manipulative and influence voters in states whose polls remain open.

They are also potentially extremely unreliable because people might not choose to be honest in answering.

If I were asked who I voted for, I would tell the questioner to mind his/her own business.

Angela Naugle, NS Canada   November 4th, 2008 7:52 pm ET

Oh yeah, and in CANADA, we know how to vote. We are the second biggest country in the world and have our votes counted within hours of our polls closing because we use BALLOTS AND PENCILS.

Jeremy (ex-patriot for a week in Peru)   November 4th, 2008 7:52 pm ET

They keep asking "why do exit polls?" I can think of only one answer: education and experience for poli-sci students.

j   November 4th, 2008 7:52 pm ET

i would never tell any polster , exit or not, how I voted.
i would probably give a misleading or untrue statement. it is none of his business.
why do we have the privelidge of being able to have SECRET ballots? wait till ALL the votes are counted to know who really won.

Natalie   November 4th, 2008 7:51 pm ET

McCain needs to win in order for this country to get better otherwise who knows what's going to happen.

michael in Louisiana   November 4th, 2008 7:51 pm ET

U should trust them as much as u trust the cnn analyst. As I watch the broadcast, it appears McCain is ahead or winning in every state reporting so far. Excuse me, I forgot Vermont. According to the analyst, Obama has secured this state and 3 EC delegates. We know the suprises the EC can bring at the last moment.

It appears to me that in everyone's state Obama has been winning this election. The only place McCain is ahead is in the early returns u broadcast.

Pretend ur reporting is unbias and let's not create a band wagon for the undecided and mentally infirm to get on.

thanx

Vicky   November 4th, 2008 7:51 pm ET

I, personally, don't put too much weight in the exit polls. I remember vividly when Kerry was being considered. I thought he had it in the bag but, come to find out when all was said and done, he didn't. I'll be waiting for the final talley when every single American's vote is accounted for.

an Italian outside guy   November 4th, 2008 7:51 pm ET

Hi there, good luck everyone, independetly form parties. Usually I am one that goes against commonly accepted trends.. and in this sense, I would like just to make a comment, out of the chorus (even the italian one): changing does not mean just changing the colour of the skin.. I think every sane person in this world have accepted equal rights as an universal value, but here now we risk to do the opposite, discriminating a white guy just because he's not black and he's even old. Just ask yourself one thing: how many coloured people will vote McCain? how many white ones will vote Obama? and if you answer this, then think about how much fair is this.
The most fair thing, would have been having 2 black candidates for all parties. I wish you all the best and I hope, whoever will win, he'll do a great job for you and the world.

All the best

Jack   November 4th, 2008 7:51 pm ET

Well, I guess they showed us black people who's running thangs.

Kasey   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

Jeremy–Seeing as you are a man…who the HELL are you to tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her body?!
If your teenage daughter gets raped and becomes pregnant as a result, are you the type of man who is going to FORCE her to keep that baby, or carry it for 9 months just to give it away? You are despicable!! Any person who thinks they have the right to decide what a woman should or shouldn't do with her body needs a freaking reality check!! And FYI…I voted for McCain…but that is ONE law/view, I DO NOT agree with!! I am a grown woman and can decide for myself what I choose to do or not do. And even though for myself I would never choose it (unless put in that circumstance), but I am not someone's keeper/boss. If a woman feels that's what it best for her then so be it…it is not your decision to make that for her!! I hope you never have to deal with a teenage pregnancy that resulted from rape…it's NOT pretty!!!

Brian   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

In my opinion I feel that people will say one thing because that do not want to be minority.

Chris   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

No polls are trustworthy. The final official outcome is all that matters. End of story.

Alaska   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

Give me a break. Bush won Kerry Lost and now McCain will win and Obama lose! Oh by the way, Governor Palin is a great Governor and will be an outstanding VPOTHUS. Just give her a chance and you will see what a great honest person she is.

Brian C   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

I don't trust the exit polls because I don't trust the electronic voting. There's no paper trail, there's no proof. We're seeing evidence of improper routing of the votes in Ohio that could easily have resulted in vote tampering and there'd be zero evidence to convict anyone. No, I trust no one in this process, especially the voting machine and IT companies that just happen to be aligned with Republican interests.

Angela Naugle, NS Canada   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

EXCUSE ME WILLY, just because I live in Canada doesn't mean I don't get to have an opinion. Canadians are watching this race more closely than most Americans, because we actually GIVE a crap what the rest of the world thinks of us, and UNFORTUNATELY since we are connected to America, we get thrown in to everything your stupid President Bush decides to do. I actually CARE about what the rest of the world thinks of the States, which apparently you don't. I guarantee I know more about this than you if you think McCain should even have a chance to win. SO WILLY if you don't use your brain, maybe YOU should keep your TRAP shut.

Krafty Fam   November 4th, 2008 7:50 pm ET

As a staunch Democrat I voted McCain….and I think we will be surprised to see he might actually pull it out and win. Anyone ever read that book about the buying of elections? Pick a face friendly orator with no smeared past and market the heck out of him…Barack simply hasnt been around the track long enough to have the experience to get us where we need to go.

Bob   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

Heck no — it's just another way for the networks to make money. I agree with whomever stated here that no projections should be made until after the last poll closes.

DERRICK A. HARRIS   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

SHOULD WE TRUST EXIT POLLS = N/O= NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

James Clark   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

The real disceprancy started in Florida in 2000, when voters thought they had voted for Gore but in reality had voted for Buchanan due to the placement of the punch hole.

West Texas   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

Does anyone still believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? Exit polls are in the same catagory!

Stephanie   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

Please stop showing results from the exit polls! I would much rather see the map of the real votes and how specific counties are voting in the battleground states.

Rob   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

The difference between final results and exit polls in 2004 defied every statistical probability. The data was unequivocal in this regard. The only possible explanation was election fraud. Voting machines must be banned.

Dan   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

No one has EVER proven systematic voter fraud – even republican attorneys admit that! The very, very rare cases found are one-off and so small in number that they can simply be ignored. Statistically they don't even exist (so close to zero they are considered zero).

On the other hand, several republican sec of states in various states have systematically engineered the voting system to either discourage voters (not enough machines, etc) or outright deny people their right to vote by false challenges. That has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by many organizations.

Penn Voter   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

NO

Barbara   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

Willy, your response displays the typical white trash bible thumping trigger happy American. Get over yourself. US needs change and a change for the better, not worse. The Democratic Party is the only answer. A big salute to Obama for having inspired so many voters.

steve in Olympia   November 4th, 2008 7:49 pm ET

We need a a 24 hour voting day system where all the polls close at the same time "alaska & Hawaii" excluded..

say 10am to 10am on the east coast and 2pm to 2pm on the west coast so all the polls close at the same time and then the STUPID EXIT POLLS would be obsolete because we would have the actual vote count instead of some bias slanted polls screwing up the system..

Scott   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

Exit Polls are used to ensure the fairness elections in corrupt developing countries. If independent observers reports that everyone coming out voted for party A, but party B wins in a landslide, you know the vote count was rigged. Who knows, maybe those elections are more fair than those in the US…

The discrepancies between exit polls and actual results in 2004 don't suggest that the polls are no good, they suggest the election is rigged. Anyone who's taken first year statistics and understands the words "margin of error" can tell you that having all the polls go to Kerry but then having the votes go to Bush is impossible.

Heaven King   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

It seems like Mccain is leading with the electoral votes

TN   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

John McCain deserves the majority of the battleground states! He has earned them and needs Ohio!

Bronson - from Canada   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

Angela your painting a bad picture of Canada. If Obama wins he wins, if McCain wins he wins, lets not talk about this election stealing garbage. According to the media Obama should win in a landslide…But he holds the media in his back pocket. Since I can't vote, and yet am effected by this just as much as everyone else (permanent resident living in California) I certainly hope America remains America! I left Canada because of its obsession with social programs and government control. Just like Gov. Terminator said, he left Europe because of socialist policy, and now, just when places like Sweden are becoming more capitalistic we want to become more like them??? God bless the US of AAA!

seth W   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

exit polls really? If we went by that then john kerry would have been president in 04

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

I have NEVER experienced an exit poll, much less seen anyone being asked; who commenting here has?

Bo   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

as long as dems don't know how to cast votes, it aint over,

MCCAIN/PALIN '08

No McCain   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

While I have my disagreements with exit pools, during teh democratic primaries, they were really pretty accurate most of the time. So I do give the exit pools lots of credit.

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

If anyone invokes "god" on this post their argument is already removed from the realm of possibility. This is a political argument, not a religious argument. We all have the freedom to believe what we want to believe as religion is concerned, but when you invoke it with regards to politics, you are WRONG and don't undertand what this country means.

Peter (CA)   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

It's been said here very well…polls are a way to ensure the elections are fair, espcecially when they are close as the last several.

Yes, 2004 was a surprise but polls showed Bush inching ahead around Oct. 30th and Kerry never took the lead again. Which is why we had such a close election.

But, yeah, we like the polls better when they are favoring our candidate. This year I am all for the polls. That way I know the right wingers can foam at the mouth all they want but this will not be their night.

Rlynden   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

Exit polls are a joke and a waste of everyone;s time.

At the very least they should be named exit Ratings, since that's all they are really about anyways.

mradams   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

republicans for obama? dont you mean democrats for mccain?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/04/puma-founder-obama-is-democrats-bush/

Angela:
'This is crazy, if McCain wins- it means the election was stolen again.'
we've been predicting dems would be saying this from the beginning.

canada is america's hat… not brain.

toggaf_a_si_nalA   November 4th, 2008 7:48 pm ET

Unlike Alan I actually voted for someone BORN in the United States. John Sidney McCain was born in Panama! Hey Alan: What does my name say if spelled backwards?

dale   November 4th, 2008 7:47 pm ET

Exit polls are just what they say they are . The problem with them is it's real easy to get the results you want to hear just by polling the people in a certain demographic or race or gender. The media has there golden child and they will bend the polls any way they can to what they want. People are so shocked with the real ballots after listening to all the made up poll results the past six months they can't or don't want to believe the real tally of the american people

Abby   November 4th, 2008 7:47 pm ET

Exit polls are how the United States judges in other countries elections to be fair. They are statistically accurate. When we stop paying attention to exit polls we're asking for elections to be stolen.

Luis C.   November 4th, 2008 7:47 pm ET

Las encuestas de salida no pueden representar lo que sucede en las urnas, porque la gente miente. a unos les averguenza votar por obama y a otros por mccain. así que dicen otra cosa

Billabong   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

Since it is unfashionable (to say the least) to not be an Obama supporter in many areas , I suspect that the polls will be extraordinarily inaccurate this time. I think that in the privacy of the voting booth, a significantly greater number of Americans will vote for McCain than is tallied by a face to face poll.

April Love   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

A FEW QUESTIONS!!! With electronic voting machines that have no paper trail, shouldn't we pay close attention to exit polls? We know votes can easily be switched on computer voting machines with absolutely no evidence of tampering. The only thing we have to go on would be exit polls. Are we sure the polls are wrong? Shouldn't we double check, if there is a big discrepancy between the polls and the actual tally!!! And as a news organization…WOULD YOU DOUBLE CHECK rather than change your polls to match results?

lol election   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

if exit polls are like 30% then you can trust them. Other than that it's a swing

Tom B   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

If you think of delinquency it occurs most often and with greater severity when their is anonymity. The exit polls may very well be inaccurate for the same reason as anonymity empowers "bradly effect" voting. I truly hope the presidential race comes down to the issues, not the smear campaigning, race, or gender.

JoJo   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

just because obama supporters are really loud about supporting him doesnt mean that there arent McCain supporters. Who says Obama should win by a landslide? the polls indicate a close race.

Cheryl   November 4th, 2008 7:46 pm ET

Exit polls should be viewed as a guide, much like a road map to who may be the eventual winner of the election. However, just like any road map, things change quickly and the final votes may come in differently than the exit polls first show. In other words, take them lightly and wait patiently for the true results down the road.

Tat   November 4th, 2008 7:45 pm ET

Besides, how many people are going to say they voted for McCain to exit pollsters?

Pollster, "Did you vote for Obama or McCain?"
Voter, "McCain."
Pollster, "Now some demographics questions. Do you consider yourself racist or prejudiced?"
Voter, "No, wait… I think I did vote for Obama. I get those two names mixed up all the time."

Mike   November 4th, 2008 7:45 pm ET

"When exit polls are consistently wrong, does that not mean that the election is rigged?"

If one party consistently benefited, I'd be tempted to smell a rat. However, after the slaughter of '06, I lean more toward polling just being consistently INACCURATE.

Chiefy   November 4th, 2008 7:45 pm ET

Do not let the media dictate the vote. The polls are not closed everywhere.

batts   November 4th, 2008 7:45 pm ET

just wait and see

Dave B   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

Exit polls are more trustworthy than the corrupt state government officials who are chartered to count the votes. It is a sad commentary on the state of our government that I am not in the minority in this belief, if the comments posted are indicative of the general populace.

G. Giles   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

I used to live in Oklahoma and voted as a Democrat twice. I now am back in Texas and voted for Obama. I know lots of other Texans and Oklahomans that would be proud to say they voted OBAMA.

breezy   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

What about early voters are they a part of these polls? What about absentee voters, do we even bother to count those anymore? Are they represented in these exit polls? The polls are a bunch of hype. Let's try to count all the votes this time around instead of throwing a bunch of the swing states into the garbage like last time.

Jeff   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

I'd say if Obama doesn't win, with these polls projecting him with atleast 300 electoral votes and with leads as much as 10 points in virginia and other swing states, THEN I'd be left speechless.

NHochs   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

Everyone seems so resigned and cynical. Exit polls are exit polls; they are not credence nor written in stone. Take them for what they are. Everyone has to embrace what life is about to throw at them.

Jeremy   November 4th, 2008 7:44 pm ET

No we should not trust the exit polls. The media has put too much emphasis on these exit polls and therefore skewed the voting decision of some small-minded individuals that might watch your polls, than place a last minute vote, and thus follow the leader like the sheep that they are. The media should not be allowed to give projections for the winner of the presidency until at least 66.6% of the vote is in for each state and than an accurate prediction could be placed. The media needs to understand and fully appreciate the authority they have as American families gather around their living rooms tonight and watch this historic election take place with expectations of the news to give us an honest perception of what is taking place at the polls in each state. Long story short don’t start a preaching until the fat lady sings!

Dan   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

One third of voters voted ahead of time. how are they taking that into account?

In the past exit polls were VERY accurate. Maybe some of the recent inaccuracy is failure to account for early voters.

Grant in Tucson   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

I'm worried that there is a general feeling that fraud will be prevalent. That is the beginnings of anarchy. The polling workers I know are very patriotic and take their jobs seriously. All the way up to the Secretary's of state, I think they put the Constitution before party affiliations. Call me an optimist, but that's the faith I do keep in our system.

Gmoney   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

McCain deserves it, hes earned the presidency

Julia R   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

Our Service Men and Woman…
The voting final count is not over till every vote is in this would include our service men and woman who should of been sent there absent tee ballots in September many of them I am sure are not happy eighter that there vote may not be counted and even thow we vote not every single vote is counted we the people need to make a few changes..
Vote on our represinatives pay retirement -travel …..we are being riped off more by this then any other miss spending we should vote on then thing not them..

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

Yes.. seriously we need to remember separation of church and state

Kathy   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

If asked by an exit-poll person whom I voted for, I'd lie. I live in the rural South. I voted for Obama. If that fact were known in my area, my life would be miserable. The turnout this morning was high for my little area – 9 people in front of me. I've never seen that before and joked I didn't know that many lived around me. We are very, very, very rural. These people didn't vote in previous elections and my state is predicted to go for McCain – so what's the deal. I think it's just to make a racist statement. I'm county on cities and urban areas to get Senator Obama in the white House. A McCain victory is very scary to me.

DERRICK A. HARRIS   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

LET US FACE THE TRUTH: OBAMA IS THE BETTER MAN AND THIS COUNRTY NEEDS FRESH YOUNG MEN. WHY ALL OUR PRESIDENTS HAVE TO BE OLD????????

Vernon   November 4th, 2008 7:43 pm ET

Exist polls have worked everywhere else never more than 1% off except in the US after 1999!!! I wonder why that is?

gina   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

I think that we shouldn't trust the exit polls.For example, the 2002 exits were WAY off!!! I pray that McCain/Palin win. By the way…Bush didn't STEAL the election. It would have been a lot easier of a win if there weren't so much voter fraud…as we have seen is a big issue this election. The media likes to hype up and predict winners even though the election hadn't begun yet.

Tom   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

All that matters is the count at the end of the voting. Obama has won the "Darling of the Media" award but still must receive enough votes to win the election. This is simple enough for even a Liberal to understand.

sandee in Portland   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

I hope and pray they are not wrong. The thought of having a far, right wing evangelical as VP and a President who is a blatant liar and has pulled some of the dirtiest tactics I've ever seen is unimaginable. We're enough of a laughing stock in the world now….I'd had to see us become even worse. If that happens, it would appear that none of us learned by voting for Bush about consequences of our actions.

Max   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

We're called the quiet majority.

Jeff R   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

After the Kerry debacle, never gonna trust the voting machines again

CSR in Tx   November 4th, 2008 7:42 pm ET

I have pretty much never trusted exit polls. We have a HUGE amount of suggestion going on, where polls closing several hours after one third of the country has been 'called' to one candidate or the other… It's basically a useless system as far as reporting goes. Wait for the votes to be counted, that's all that really matters!

Carlsbad Living   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

If McCain wins it is not a fix or a stolen vote, just the real vote and not media bs.

Bryan   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

here is a crazy idea…let people go to the polls and vote their minds before "declaring" who wins a particular state and/or race.

if a football team is ahead in the 3rd quarter, do you say "our best info is that the team ahead will win the game"?? seriously, how can you possibly take these types of polls with any degree of accuracy considering the litany of mistakes made in the past?

report what has actually happened, not what you think/hope is going to happen…it's obvious who CNN wants to win, so why not let it happen of its own accord instead of forcing the issue by hinting that certain races are beyond hope??

Charles W.   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

None of you guys should even BE calling these races. By doing so, you run the risk of having people feel that there maybe no need to get out there and vote – whether it's because they feel their candidate will loose, or has already won.

Why can't you guys keep your noses out of places they don't belong?

Charles W.

JB   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

No, I always lie to the pollsters, just to give the folks at CNN something to talk about and keep me entertained while there is nothing on the tube but this stuff.

So why shouldn't others….

ANONYMOUS 1   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

Aside from the fact that exit polls are a bunch of garbage. Our entire electoral procedure is garbage. It is so broken and fraudulent.

Just remember to buy your guns now… they will be gone soon.

Jennifer   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

I would love to wait until everything is counted, but when exactly does that happen–I don't think I have ever even seen anything close to a "final count." I am still waiting for a final count from 2000, so I don't know if we have ever received one. Please let me know where I can get that real final number.

Kiki   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

I agree, same thing would most likely happen..Obama appeared to be winning and he should win and WOW..all of a sudden guess who es winning. Mccain.
well who are the one who owe the ballot Machines..republicans..right there is said it all..they will never vote for a democratic president even more when we are so raicist

Mark F   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

It appears as though this will be a close one. Exit polls within 10% of each other, might as well just take a best guess.

E   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

Exit polls have been shown to be meaningless, why even ask this?

Gmoney   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

Honestly, who deserves the presidency? Obviously McCains military record shows he loves this country as apposed to most democrats in this country who want to destroy it from within government.

Brian   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

I really don't think that exit polls are good for anything the night of an election. I would think that the only true benefit is after the fact in analyzing the information after the fact. The idea that a race can be predicted from exit pollling is in fact a farse. As you say, President Kerry will confirm his support for them as well.

Charles   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

They Democrats need to keep paying attention to this election.Because i really don't trust those machine,something must be wrong we need we need a clean election.

Jay   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

Polls are a sham. they are either sponsored by a biased party or designed by one. They frequently leave candidates and issue completely out. They have misleading questions (yes or no: have you stopped beating your wife?) and target select populations.
They are a tool used to abuse our politcal system.
As for exit polls, they are useless. people lie on them, pollsters alter data. They are driven by marketing and news sales.
Every freaking election the 'news sources' start calling the election before many states main voting population get out of work.

DERRICK A. HARRIS   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES,HIS PRAISE SHALL ALWAYS BE IN MY MOUTH.
WHEN I AM IN NEED I GO TO THE ROCK;JESUS CHRIST THE LORD.
YOU BETTER COME BACK TO GOD,UNITED STATES.

BE BLESSED.. GOD BLEESED THIS COUNTRY FOR YEARS AND LOOK WHAT WE HAVE DONE. IF WE LET THE REPUBLICANS IN AGAIN THIS COUNTRY WILL SLIDE DOWN JUST AS GOD PREDICTED..

Pinehurst, NC   November 4th, 2008 7:41 pm ET

Bring our Troops Home!

Melime   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

People lie in polls. The only result that counts is the one that comes out of the ballot box.

Julie in Seattle   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

GO MCCAIN!!!

Greg in California   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

When I leave the polls and anyone asks me how I voted, I tell them exactly the opposite….just to confuse them.

Olivia   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

I think some people might want Obama but once they enter booths, things change. Unfortunate, and anyone remember Florida?

yogidad   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

Exit polls are used to detect voter fraud the world over. Only Americans would instinctively discredit them.

nichol   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

I don't like exit polls because not everyone answers and you get a false prediction that may influence someone who hasn't voted yet.

willy   November 4th, 2008 7:40 pm ET

Angela seeing your from Canada you should keep your trap shut

jus   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

The predicted that Karl Rove would fix the election with John McCain winning 51%. Somebody should look into this. See Spoonamore on youtube.

berry   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

OBAMA FO YO MAMMA

Anonymous   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

Stop with the exit poll garbage. Being the first News outlet to report the results is worthless if it is not accurate.

Marco   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

Republicans with OBAMA!!!!!

Sanjay   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

Absolutely NOT….and I believe and expect the educated people to do the same.

Oaklea   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

These polls seem to be fixed jusrt like horse races…,,,,,I dont trust any of them.

Does anybodies vote count any more?…Im discusted with this country..

Angelo   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

Exit polls prevent people from voting, and so does network news. If you live on the West Coast where the polls close at 11pm EST, you already know the projected winner. Why vote if you already know who the winner is? Also I think no results should be released until the last poll closes.

Dawn   November 4th, 2008 7:39 pm ET

No, people will say all kinds of things just to be spiteful or contrary. Sadly, its been the case, in Florida & Ohio that you can't even trust actual votes! It is my fervent hope that this election be as factual a reflection of our votes as humanly possible. I hope that we are not subjected to months of investigations into the vote tampering we have experienced in last few elections!

jeremy   November 4th, 2008 7:38 pm ET

exit polls are a great tool for the democratic media to influence those uninformed voters. Hey everybody—-jump on the bandwagon and vote for Obama—–don't worry about how he's gonna tax the hell out of everyone or not do a thing to fix healthcare or that he likes to give people the choice to kill unborn children. He's a great guy, look at the exit pools….they say so

Tracy in MD   November 4th, 2008 7:38 pm ET

Polls don't mean a blessed thing. CNN and other networks should refrain from calling ANY race until the majority of the votes are COUNTED. That's exactly how they made a mess of their Election Day coverage for the past two cycles. And they STILL haven't learned their lesson!!

How about a little bacon to go with that EGG on your face, CNN?

john Wiley   November 4th, 2008 7:38 pm ET

When exit polls are consistently wrong, does that not mean that the election is rigged?

Mike   November 4th, 2008 7:38 pm ET

The news polls where they want. It allows them to slant the reporting so that it's stories lean the direction the station wants.

Judi Walker   November 4th, 2008 7:38 pm ET

I don't trust exit polls. I think instead of the media projecting winners based on exit polls, they should wait until the votes are counted! Does anyone remember the famous photo of Harry Truman holding the paper that read "Dewey Defeats Truman"? I think that Fox called the wrong winner a few years ago, didn't they?

Thomas R Love   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

Exit polls are the gold standard when the U.N. monitors an election. If the exit polls and the reported results disagree, it is a sure indication of fraud. It wasn't the exit polls which were wrong 4 years ago!

Lambo4Life   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

landslide for obama? come on now! more people keep their opinions to themselves than say their opinion out loud…and it obvious who is running for the popularity contest vs. political issues

Mary, Dublin, Ireland   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

sure we should believe the exit polls… when they tell us what we want to hear :)

Alan   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

I chose to ignore those polls (besides, who's conducting them anyway), and cast my vote, not for a coward, a liar, a reverse racist and yes, an anti-Semite in favor of a REAL American patriot and hero who has served this country.

And yes, while I do live in Arizona and have often disagreed with him, I know he will defend this country – he has already done so. His opponent? He only defends bigots, America-haters, Jew and Christian baiters.

My vote did NOT go to Barry Hussein Obama.

My vote went to the next President of the United States, John Sidney McCain.

yeah right...   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

Exit polls are never wrong. Thats why we use them in other countries to make sure there isn't fraud or coruption. So when our own polls are "wrong" it also indicates there is fraud or coruption. Why don't you release the ORIGINAL exit poll data from 2004? In almost every case they were "wrong", it ended up favoring Bush. The chances of that happening randomly and naturally are very slim.

Steven   November 4th, 2008 7:37 pm ET

I heard that the early voting tallies may not be loaded in to the initial exit polls, can you at CNN verify that?

Bob Topley   November 4th, 2008 7:36 pm ET

Your exit polls are useless unless you include the exit polls from the "advance voters",

Mike   November 4th, 2008 7:36 pm ET

You guys are crap, calling an election before the polls close!

Tat   November 4th, 2008 7:35 pm ET

Published exit polls indirectly influence polls that have not yet closed. It's human nature to pick what everyone says is the winning choice, regardless of merit.

Gary the voter in California, "I really don't know who to choose, but they say is Obama winning out east, so I guess I should vote for him!"

Tiaunia   November 4th, 2008 7:35 pm ET

You can at least get a general idea but to put all your faith into it would be foolish. As mentioned Kerry lost or should I say it was taken!! Go figure

Garrett   November 4th, 2008 7:35 pm ET

It's true, who is going to walk out of voting in Oklahoma to declare "I voted Obama!"

Exit polls are bunk!   November 4th, 2008 7:34 pm ET

After the Kerry debacle, never gonna trust em again

Angela Naugle, NS Canada   November 4th, 2008 7:33 pm ET

This is crazy, if McCain wins- it means the election was stolen again. It should be a landslide for Obama, what the heck is going on?!

Caitlin B   November 4th, 2008 7:33 pm ET

Honestly? No. Just wait for the votes to be tallied.

Courtney   November 4th, 2008 7:33 pm ET

Exit polls are a good tool for estimating, however the only accurate result will come at the end of the race when all of the votes are counted. Even if some of them are fraudulent.

ANONYMOUS   November 4th, 2008 7:33 pm ET

People just vote fair. This world is lost. Remember GOD is coming back and a lot of these manipulative people will have a lot of questions to answer.

analysis   November 4th, 2008 7:32 pm ET

The issue in some areas was not the accuracy of the exit polls, which have historically been extremely accurate; it was the accuracy of the voting machines, which experts have historically said are far too easy to tamper with. Additionally, there were cases of cities where far more people voted than were registered. 2004 was a dirty election; and I don't expect 2008 to be different.

nate b   November 4th, 2008 7:32 pm ET

i dont, and think it's stupid that CNN is projecting based on exit polls. give me a freaking break, stop trying to be the first to be wrong

Barbara in NC   November 4th, 2008 7:32 pm ET

Obama/Biden '08

Karl Rove himself said so – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha And he is the great FIXER from 2000 and 2004

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