Reply #17: my two left-field theories: cheaping out, tricking exit poll staff

[idealista]

It sounds like a perfect scam - just make up a bunch of numbers, maybe do an actual exit poll here and there, save most of the money you're getting paid, and then refuse to divulge the actual locations, etc., so that no one can proof it.

That's just a very little garden variety scam. Tempting to the small businessman. "I'd be a sucker not to cheat if I can" - some people's credo. BUt if that were the plan, why report early numbers so favorable to Kerry? Because at that very hour, someone was trying to shake him down? "We'll let you win but only if you agree to....".

Some numbers could be genuine, alot made up, then the final totals drawn largely from actual election "results" - real or fraudulent. Now, that is a conspiracy involving more parties.

In any case, another reason to not divulge actual polling locations raw data could be so that any actual exit poll personel who remember what they reported in can't see if their real numbers were actually used?

I a ashamed of myself - talking like some conspiracy theorist!