On Fri, 05 Jan 2001 16:56:03 -0500, Rich Ulrich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>What is your corollary issue? I don't see that you name one ... I
It is simple. If your state was divided into two time zones and it
was announced the election for all intents and purposes was "over,"
would you stand in line to vote? In particular, if you were a first
time voter? Would you go out in the snow or rain to vote if it was
announced by CNN the election was decided by, let's say,
Philadelphia--- before you could cast a vote? Possibly, you disagree,
but I think the public is not served by the major media outlets
calling winners in a given state until those specific state poll sites
are closed. Obviously, had the initial predictions held sway, none of
us would have been the wiser. Unfortunately, the exit pollster
consortium and the rush to get the story out by the electronic media
contributed to public wariness about polling in general and possibly
about statistical manipulations as well. Again, I urge the media to
share both the methodology and the "back of the envelope" statistics
used in election projections. Figuring standard errors and confidence
limits can be done by the average high school student IMHO. I think
the public can and will understand these issues.
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