Response from Butler County Regarding Exit Polls. She says that Butler

[KaliTracy]

County didn't have any. I thought someone else here said they had information regarding Butler County. Was it a big old goose-egg the entire time?

Tracy:

We did not have exit polling in Butler County in November 2004. If
media was at polling locations, they did not notify the Board of
Elections of the presence.

Please let me know if you need any additional information.



LXXX DXXXX
Administrative Assistant
Butler County Board of Elections

[skids]

1. We think there were two.

Precinct 7/ 8/5: 45 voters Butler
Precinct 8/ 8/5: 32 voters Butler

I could review my work in figuring out the sort order, but I'd put equal odds on it just being the case that the BOE wasn't contacted or some subordinate handled it and not everyone there knew.

[KaliTracy]

2. Thing is, she originally told me that she thought there were two. Should I

politely write her back thanking her for her time and mention these two precincts as possible exit poll places? Or just politely write her back and thank her for her time?

[kiwi_expat]

3. Those two numbers are NEP precinct numbers. She wouldn't know....

the precincts by those numbers.

Thank you very much for all of your effort, Kali_Tracy!

[skids]

4. Heh.

I think we are being given the runaround. My "2" came from independent analysis, so the fact that she admitted to thinking there were "2" only serves to validate our suspicion. Thanks.

And yeah, just thank her for being "helpful" and we'll have to see if any DUers live in Butler and saw them firsthand...

[liam_laddie]

5. Ohio NEP exit polls?

Hey, team - I'm still attempting to connect with the right people
in several counties* needing NEP polling locations (*listed on another thread.) The letter from E/M was addressed to the county director of elections, so it's very possible that AA's wouldn't have been privy. Meanwhile, it will take some time to get in touch with the Dems who might have access the NEP data in Ohio. Wish it could move more quickly, but...

[kiwi_expat]

9. I e-mailed some Ohio Dem county orgs and most Ohio Dem univ. orgs

I got 2 responses:

The Wood County Democratic Party Chairman said that he didn't know of any exit polls in Wood County.

The Hamilton County Democratic Party "Executive Director" replied,
"I am afraid I cannot help you with this since the Hamilton County Democratic Party did not pay for or place exit pollers outside of the polls. I am not sure which organization did so." (In my message I had specifically referred to "NEP exit poll interviewers".)


I'm afraid that the Dems aren't going to be of much help.

[kiwi_expat]

10. Liam, could you please check with the Butler "E/M" equivalent

...or with the Butler Director of Elections office? (I'm not sure what "E/M" refers to.)

Thanks!

[Igel]

6. Ask to look at the incident logs for Butler Country precincts.

(If you can determine which of the two precincts had exit pollsters, that would make the task easier. I don't know if NEP says what the polling interval was at the precincts.)

I don't know if all poll workers would write down that a pollster tried to survey on site, but I think most would. If the pollster stayed outside, it's less likely (since campaigning is outlawed close to polling stations, but not polling), and if the pollster stayed outside the no-campaigning perimeter, even I wouldn't have written it down.

[KaliTracy]

7. Blackwell restricted exit poll people no closer than 100 feet at the last

minute.

Media sue Blackwell over exit poll limits

Post staff report

Adding to the flurry of lawsuits surrounding Tuesday's election in Ohio, the three major television networks and other news organizations today sued Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell for imposing new restrictions on exit polling.
Last week, Blackwell's office informed news organizations that they would be prohibited from conducting exit polls -- brief interviews of voters leaving their polling places about how they voted and why -- within 100 feet of the polls.

The 100-foot restriction limits electioneering and other activities ourside polling places, but never before -- including as recently as the March primary -- has been applied to exit pollers, according to today's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.

"Exit polls provide accurate data about voter behavior because of the near certainty that the persons interviewed have actually voted," the lawsuit said. "The greater the distance from the polling place that the polling reporter is required to stand, however, the less reliable is the information gathered."

more:
http://www.cincypost.com/2004/11/01/exit110104.html

and another here http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/01/blackwell_exitpolls.html
<snip>
According to the suit, Blackwell told county boards in February that since state law does not specifically regulate exit-polling, "in keeping with Ohio's past practices, exit pollsters should not be disturbed solely because they are conducting exit polling within the 100-foot-boundary."

Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said Monday that in February, media interest in the Ohio election was much less. Anticipating a crush of voters and media on Tuesday, Blackwell told boards to enforce a state law that bars anyone besides voters, election officials, challengers and witnesses from inside the 100-foot limit, LoParo said.

Dave Tomlin, AP assistant general counsel, said exit polling isn't intrusive and provides insight into how people vote.

"Everyone who really wants to understand what happens on Election Day, including the secretary of state, is interested in the information we intend to gather and report," Tomlin said in a statement.


I believe the people suing lost -- my quick googling couldn't confirm this though.

[Igel]

8. Strange little detail. But thanks....

it means that almost certainly the incident logs will be silent.

Shucks.