Elections and Exit Polling

"An understanding of the relationship between the product and theprocess in election polling is often lost. This edited volumeunites ideas and researchers, with quality playing the centralrole." --J. Michael Brick, PhD, Director of the Survey Methods Unit,Westat, Inc. Elections and Exit Polling is a truly unique examination of thespecialized surveys that are currently used to track and collectdata on elections and voter preferences. Employing modern researchfrom the past decade and a series of interviews with famed Americanpollster Warren Mitofsky (1934-2006), this volume provides arelevant and groundbreaking look at the key statistical techniquesand survey methods for measuring voter preferences worldwide. Drawing on the most current studies on pre-election and exitpolling, this book outlines improvements that have developed inrecent years and the results of their implementation. Coveragebegins with an introduction to exit polling and a basic overview ofits history, structure, limitations, and applications. Subsequentchapters focus on the use of exit polling in the United Stateselection cycles from 2000-2006 and the problems that wereencountered by both pollsters and the everyday voter, such as howto validate official vote count, confidentiality, new votingmethods, and continuing data quality concerns. The text goes on toexplore the presence of these issues in international politics,with examples and case studies of elections from Europe, Asia, andthe Middle East. Finally, looking to the upcoming 2008 U.S.presidential election, the discussion concludes with predictionsand recommendations on how to gather more accurate and timelypolling data. Research papers from over fifty eminent practitioners in thefields of political science and survey methods are presentedalongside excerpts from the editors' own interviews with Mitofsky.The editors also incorporate their own reflections throughout andconclude each chapter with a Summary Observations section thathighlights notable concepts and trends. The appendix featuressample questionnaires from actual exit polling scenarios and anextensive bibliography directs the reader to additional referencesfor further study. Combining wisdom from one of the most notable names in the fieldalong with findings from modern research and insightfulrecommendations for future practices, Elections and Exit Polling isan excellent supplement for political science and survey researchcourses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is alsoa one-of-a-kind reference for pollsters, survey researchers,statisticians, and anyone with a general interest in the methodsbehind global elections and exit polling.