"Disturbing News: Exit Polling to Be Scrapped in Some 19 States, Allowing For Much Easier

[midnight]

Manipulation of Election Results"

"It was Exit Polling during the Wisconsin Recall Elections in June which predicted a 50/50 tie in the Gubernatorial recall between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett. Yet, 30 minutes or so later, after all of the news nets had reported the incredibly close Exit Polling results gathered throughout the day, the computer results told us the winner was Walker by huge numbers.


Those questionable and completely unverified results (WI does no post-election spot-checks of any of the paper ballots cast in their state elections, and only a minimal check of Presidential races months after certification) led to a bi-partisan group attempted to hand-count paper ballots across the entire state. The group is still trying to count those ballots in many counties, even though where election officials are refusing to give them access to the ballots.

The Fix goes on to note...

All 19 of the states with no exit polls are classified as either “solid Obama” or “solid Romney,” and there is only one “toss-up” gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race not on the list: the competitive North Dakota match-up of Heidi Heitkamp and Rick Berg.
Two other contests in the “leaning” Democratic category aren’t on the list: the U.S. Senate race in Hawaii and the governor’s race in West Virginia.

That is not good, and only makes the privatization of our formerly public election system even more opaque and difficult, if not impossible, for the citizenry to oversee. For those who might wish to manipulate the election system, it's now a 30-second no-brainer and just a few keystrokes away for any election insider to flip results on computer systems with almost no possibility of detection, or even indication that results may be the very opposite of the voters' intent."

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9613

[Swede Atlanta]

1. I agree that exit polling helps to keep those that have the ability to manipulate the election...

results at least on their toes.....

But on the other side I have always been dismayed when exit polling led to news organizations calling states for one side or the other before the polls have closed or, as a result of these unofficial results, calling an entire election.

There is a fine line to be drawn here. I'm not sure which I support but there is risk on both sides.

[lunasun]

2. disturbing indeed

"The decision by the National Election Pool — a joint venture of the major television networks and The Associated Press — is sure to cause some pain to election watchers across the country"

......and create a candy jar to vote manipulators waiting in the wings

Wisc recall was a dress rehearsal I guess

[midnight]

4. Agree.....

[Quantess]

3. Bad idea...