Exit poll results at Gallatin County, Kentucky

The poll experience started off roughly for me. I mentioned it to the people who were giving out the voting sheets and they immediately questioned me, telling me they didn’t think it was legal even after I insisted several times that it was. They reluctantly told me they would let me if it didn’t bother too many people. After I got out side and got my stuff ready I saw the man who was particularly against it gazing out the window at me on the phone. I knew that he was calling someone to let them know what I was doing and asking them if they should let me do it. Smiling I went back inside and showed them the script and my equipment, my mother also backed me up. Finally he also agreed and I went outside to start polling.

The polling experience wasn’t any better than my initial response from the people inside. I was friendly and explained to people exactly what I was doing telling them it was absolutely fine if they chose not to participate. Several people walked away with both strips, shaking there heads at me and often saying mean things as they left. I live in a small farming community that is dominated by Democrats, so I can understand that people are afraid of being criticized for voting republican if they chose to. A group of hispanic people were obviously skittish that I was even talking to them and quickly walked away from me. I would say about 20% of the people walked away from me, another 50% were very reluctant to do it and the other 30% were mostly people I knew so they were sure I was being confidential.

In the end I received ten votes for Jack Conway, and twelve for Rand Paul. This kind of helps explain to me why the people were so reluctant and sometimes downright mean, they were afraid the fact that they voted for a republican would get out and our tight community would find out and shun them. I was very surprised by the outcome, thinking the democrat would have had way more votes than the republican simply because of the community I live in.

Overall I think it was a very unpleasant experience. My slips kept blowing away, it was cold, and no matter how nice I was people treated me in an almost hostile way. I know it is completely legal but I do not recommend having future students do this project, I could see a possibility of it resulting in violence. Voting is a very touchy subject and no matter how much you try to seem friendly, most people will still be skeptical and they won’t want to take part in it.