Should the media report election results before polls close?

[DiscoJason]

This is my first post in R&P because I usually avoid this, but I was just curious what others thought about this topic.

Last election, I was watching the news reports when I was in the Eastern time zone and they were showing who was leading in which eastern states. It got me thinking that this was influencing those on the west coast because if they saw that Bush seemed to be winning by a lot and they were Gore supporters, they may feel the election was already over and not bother to vote. Or they might be Bush backers who figure the race in already won and not go and vote for Bush, causing Gore to win. With the last election, NBC was predicting Gore the winner of the election before all the states were in.

Am I alone in thinking that the media shouldn't give us any results until the polls close in Hawaii?

[Kraken]

I want to know the result, with a reasonable degree of surity, by midnight EST. The farther west you go, the less American the people become, so the effect on them doesn't matter. Do they even speak English?

[RunningMn9]

Am I alone in thinking that the media shouldn't give us any results until the polls close in Hawaii?

No. I think that the media should keep it's trap shut until the polls are closed everywhere.

Not gonna happen. Although I bet they'll be a little more careful this year, after the FL debacle.

[LordMortis]

Everyone knows the west coast doesn't really matter anyway. Maybe if they wanted to be relavant they would close their polls earlier. So rather than blame the media they should blame themselves. Why I ought to kick them in the nuts.

I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question?

[msduncan]

Am I alone in thinking that the media shouldn't give us any results until the polls close in Hawaii?

No. I think that the media should keep it's trap shut until the polls are closed everywhere.

Not gonna happen. Although I bet they'll be a little more careful this year, after the FL debacle.

CNN has called Florida for Kerry as of 1:30 pm.

[Eel Snave]

They've been doing this for a while now.

[LawBeefaroni]

Unless the results are secret, they can report whatever they want. What I think they should refrain from doing is posting stupid predictions based on exit polls.

If the West Coast wants to party with everyone else, they need to change their polling times. Or hold off on their time change or something.

Sorry, the East Coast has to watch baseball or Monday Night Football past 1am. The West Coast can get up a bit early to vote.

[Defiant]

Unless the results are secret, they can report whatever they want. What I think they should refrain from doing is posting stupid predictions based on exit polls.

Well, I'm sure they'll be a little more careful this time, but considering that Florida is the only major gaffe, and then it was largely due to a close race and exit polls including bad date (peeople who voted for one person but thought they voted for someone else), I think they have a reasonably good track record.

[LordMortis]

Sorry, the East Coast has to watch baseball or Monday Night Football past 1am. The West Coast can get up a bit early to vote.

Don't you mean hockey. Except now I would pay my left nut for the privledge to stay up that late to watch hockey.

[Steron]

I think the news media should STFU until the last polls close. Alaska is the final poll to close at 0100 eastern time. If the results are annouced as the polls close, it could influence the vote. Especially in states, such as Florida, that are split by the timeline. The panhandle is an hour behind the rest of the state.

[The Preacher]

Unless the results are secret, they can report whatever they want. What I think they should refrain from doing is posting stupid predictions based on exit polls.

Well, I'm sure they'll be a little more careful this time, but considering that Florida is the only major gaffe, and then it was largely due to a close race and exit polls including bad date (peeople who voted for one person but thought they voted for someone else), I think they have a reasonably good track record.

Don't forget calling the state before all the polls closed (the Panhandle is an hour behind the rest of the state). That was a major snafu.

[Defiant]

Don't forget calling the state before all the polls closed (the Panhandle is an hour behind the rest of the state). That was a major snafu.

Well, that was a Television news error, not an exit polling error.

[MHS]

I think the news media should STFU until the last polls close. Alaska is the final poll to close at 0100 eastern time. If the results are annouced as the polls close, it could influence the vote. Especially in states, such as Florida, that are split by the timeline. The panhandle is an hour behind the rest of the state.

Yeah, Neal and I had this conversation today. I didn't vote in the last election, because when I got home from work, the news said Gore had won. Not was predicted to win, not was leading, but had won. (I lived in the panhandle at the time, in Pensacola). So, I didn't vote. (No one is allowed to point out that this makes me a bad person, and that I should care about the local stuff, I know already. I suck.) So, yes, in my experience, the media reporting things can and does affect people's votes and whether or not they vote at all. The argument can be made that someone as stupid as me (for believing the media, and not going and voting on the local stuff anyway) shouldn't be represented by a vote anyway, but there you have my opinion.