Expert on Presidential Election Exit Poll Errors

from the University of Pennsylvania

Steven Freeman, an affiliated faculty member of the Center for Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania, is available to comment on the report by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International on errant exit poll data it provided to the National Election Pool television networks last fall.

"Although the authors of the report state that, “the differences between the exit poll estimates and the actual vote [are] most likely due to Kerry voters participating in the exit polls at a higher rate than Bush voters,” they provide little data or theory to support this thesis," said Freeman. "Rather, the report only confirms the exit poll official count discrepancy that I documented in my Nov. 12 paper, corroborates the data I collected, and rules out most types of polling error."

Dr. Freeman also questions the timing of the release of the report.

"By waiting until the presidential inauguration to release the data, the National Election Pool precluded the possibility that insights obtained could have been used as part of the legal process by which electors cast and the Congress ratifies Presidential electoral votes," Freeman said.

Dr. Freeman is author of the report "The Unexplained Exit Poll Discrepancy."

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