Exit Poll Assignment – MAT 115 – 007

Matt Reed

On Election Day I went to the Campbell County Public Library which is my polling precinct. I voted and then asked one of the ladies working if they minded if I did an exit poll for voters when they leave the polling station. I told her that I was a junior at NKU and that I was doing the exit poll as a way to collect data for a math project that the class was conducting. She was unsure if it was legal so she had to consult one of the men in charge of the station. He told me that it was permitted but there were certain stipulations, such as I could not wear anything to campaign for a candidate, and that I had to be 300 feet away from the front doors of the library.

I had to prepare my box, and get the slips on order so I could quickly hand them to the exiting voters, so I did not get started until 4:12 PM. This was not as busy a time as I had thought that it would be. I figure that I had missed the lunch crowd, and that the late voters returning from work probably arrived shortly after I had left.

I approached the voters as they left and I had the same script for each person, I said, “Hello, my name is Matt Reed and I am a junior at NKU. My math class is conducting an exit poll survey and I was wondering if you would help me by putting the slip of paper with the name of the candidate in my box.” The first few I accidently forgot to tell that their vote was confidential, but they did not seem to mind, and still participated. After I realized my mistake I began to add in that their votes were confidential. The majority of the voters that I polled were extremely nice and willing to help me out. There were a few who participated and then asked me what exactly an exit poll was, so I explained to them as best I could and told them a little more about the project that we were conducting. One elderly lady was very confused and acted a bit concerned about what she had just participated in, but I reassured her that it was confidential and for an NKU math project, and that she would not receive any annoying telephone calls from us. One older man acted pretty rude about the whole situation when I approached him, and he gave me a short speech on how people’s votes are their own business and how this project is an invasion of voter’s privacy. I acted as if I were listening to him to be courteous, but I sort of let his words go in one ear and out the next, so he would not irritate me as much.

Overall I thought this project was very interesting, and I even got to teach a few people about how exit polls are conducted. The library was very welcoming, and for the most part the voters were extremely friendly. I think it was a very good learning experience, and I am glad that I got to participate in the study.

Precinct – Campbell County Public Library, 1000 Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas, Kentucky.

Time – 4:12 PM – 4:42 PM

Number of Voters Contacted – 22

Rand Paul – 13

Jack Conway – 6

Did Not Participate – 3