US election: First results of exit polls reported
A banner near the polling station in the US (photo: Getty Images)
In the US, the vote count for the presidential election is ongoing. Initial results from key states are expected to arrive in the coming hours. Meanwhile, leading American media outlets are reporting preliminary exit poll data.
Here are the latest exit poll figures.
Exit poll by Edison Research
According to national exit poll data from Edison Research, as reported by Reuters, 44% of American voters prefer Trump, while 48% favor Harris.
Exit Polls by states
Nevada - 47% support Trump, 44% support Harris.
Arizona - 46% support Trump, 46% support Harris.
Georgia - 46% support Trump, 49% support Harris.
Michigan - 45% support Trump, 48% support Harris.
Wisconsin - 44% support Trump, 47% support Harris.
Pennsylvania - 47% support Trump, 46% support Harris.
North Carolina - 43% support Trump, 48% support Harris.
Additionally, nearly three-quarters of voters (73% to 25%) believe that American democracy is under threat in this presidential election.
These figures reflect only a portion of the tens of millions of people who voted both early and on Election Day, and preliminary results may change throughout the night as more voters are surveyed.
Exit poll by CNN
A CNN exit poll shows that about three-quarters of voters have a negative view of the current state of affairs in the US.
Only about one-quarter call themselves enthusiastic or satisfied with the state of the nation, with more than 4 in 10 dissatisfied and roughly 3 in 10 saying they’re angry.
But voters remain generally optimistic, with more than 6 in 10 saying that America’s best days are in the future, and only about one-third that they’re already in the past.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating is underwater nationally, with about 4 in 10 voters saying they approve of his job performance and a majority disapproving.
Voting process
Voting in the presidential election in the US has concluded. The counting of ballots in certain states may take longer due to the need to separately tally mail-in votes. However, exit poll data is becoming available more quickly than official results.
Polling hours vary across states, and the US spans four time zones. As a result, exit poll data from each state is reported gradually.
Since 1990, most major media outlets in the US have come together to form the National Election Pool (NEP) to jointly commission a single exit poll for election. The pool includes ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Reuters, with Edison Research traditionally conducting the polling.
On Election Day, over 3,000 Edison Research employees worked at polling stations across the country, with plans to survey around 100,000 voters.
A significant portion of the US population votes early at designated polling places or by mail. For early voters, exit polls are conducted a few weeks before Election Day when these voters leave the polling site. For mail-in voters, multi-mode surveys are used, which can be conducted via text messages, phone calls, or emails.
Data from early exit polls and multi-mode surveys are combined with Election Day exit polls, allowing sociologists to obtain a relatively objective picture of the voting process.
However, results from exit polls will only be reported in states where the victory of one candidate is clear. In battleground states, results will not be published to avoid influencing the outcome of the voting.
