Same Exit Poll Used by All TV Networks

Something was different about those instant network projections of who won and who lost Tuesday’s elections.

To save money, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN for the first time pooled their resources for a single exit poll. In exit polls, the basis for network projections, voters in selected precincts are interviewed as they leave the polling place and are asked how they voted and why.

This year, the networks used a commercial polling operation, VRS or Voter Research and Surveys, run by former CBS polling director Warren Mitofsky. VRS conducted about 60,000 separate interviews in 49 states, including nearly 10,000 for a separate poll designed to measure what Americans felt about such issues as the Persian Gulf and abortion, aside from specific campaigns.

In addition to the networks, nearly 60 local TV, newspaper and radio news organizations bought local results from the poll, making VRS an influential source of political data.

“The difference this year is that all the competition is going to be done on interpretation and presentation. All the data is the same,” VRS spokeswoman Susan Morrison said.

Although that might still leave room for competition as to when a network was willing to project a winner, some network executives said that, with only one poll, they intended to be more cautious about the results.

“Certainly, I wish there were others out there doing this poll,” said one network polling executive privately. As a result, this pollster said, “we want to be careful with what we have” when it comes to making projections.

Polling professionals warned that using a single source could increase the possibility of mistakes. In the past, network pollsters would informally compare data throughout the evening, which was a check on errors.

In the end, however, it came down to economics. Amid declining network ratings, the change will save each network “multimillions,” said Mary Klette, who directs polling for NBC News. In 1986, the previous midterm election, for instance, NBC alone had to conduct 36,440 interviews for its own exit poll.