Glossary

Exit poll

A survey of voters as they leave polling places, used to explain who voted and why rather than to project results alone.

Also called: exit polls, election-day exit poll

An exit poll is a survey in which interviewers ask voters, as they leave polling places, whom they voted for and about their demographics and views. In recent years, exit polls have been supplemented with telephone and online surveys of early and mail voters, since many ballots are cast before Election Day.

In the United States, the main national exit polls are run by a consortium of news organizations through firms such as Edison Research. Results are weighted to match the actual vote as counts come in. Early exit poll results help news organizations decide when to project winners and provide the data for analysis of how groups such as age, race, religion and education voted and which issues mattered most.

Exit polls have limits. They have sampling error, can miss people who vote by mail or early, depend on who agrees to answer and are later adjusted to match official results, so early numbers can be misleading, as in 2004, when early leaks suggested a different outcome. Critics say demographics from exit polls are less reliable than voter file analysis. Related polling tools include the generic ballot and the likely voter screens, and each poll has a margin of error.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Margin of error A statistic expressing how much a poll's result might differ from the true value because only a sample was surveyed. Likely voter A pollster's estimate of who will actually vote, used to narrow a sample of adults or registered voters. Generic ballot A poll asking voters whether they would vote for a Democrat or a Republican for Congress without naming candidates. Bellwether A place or group whose election results have historically matched the national outcome and are watched as an early indicator.