PoliticsFeature
TV networks explain how their Election Day voter polls are conducted
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).
4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, CNN, ABC News and Straight Arrow News explain the Election Day polls networks use to report how voters decided. CNN says its Voter Poll combines in-person exit interviews with a pre-election survey of roughly 100,000 voters conducted by SSRS. ABC News says it will run a Voter Poll in each of the 45 states with Senate or governor races, plus a national poll. Straight Arrow News says the figures are reworked as votes are counted and asks how far they can be trusted. CNN says early results come after 5 p.m. ET on Election Day and will change as interviews and adjustments continue.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
The networks’ Election Day poll draws on a survey of roughly 100,000 voters conducted by SSRS, most of whom answered before Election Day.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- CNN
- Center
- Straight Arrow News
CNN says its Voter Poll combines in-person exit interviews with a large pre-election survey.
One outletCNN· Left
ABC News says it will run a Voter Poll in each of the 45 states with Senate or governor races, plus a national poll.
One outletABC News· Left
Straight Arrow News says in-person interviews take place at 30 polling places in each of 15 states.
One outletStraight Arrow News· Center
CNN says early results will be reported after 5 p.m. ET on Election Day and will change through the night.
One outletCNN· Left
How each side tells it
Compare views
All sides present report that networks will publish Election Day polls built on a survey of about 100,000 voters by SSRS. Left-side outlets explain the new branded polls and their timing, while the center outlet asks how far the numbers can be trusted.
the left
2 outlets
CNN and ABC News headlines present the new branded Voter Poll as an explainer on what is changing and how the poll will identify who won and why.
Exit polls have become the CNN Voter Poll. Here’s what that means
CNNLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
1 outlet
Straight Arrow News frames the story as a question of reliability, asking whether readers can trust the exit polls shown on TV tonight.
Can you trust tonight’s exit polls? Here’s how they work
Straight Arrow NewsCenterAll center headlines the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 4 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
2 outletsLeads with
- the new CNN and ABC Voter Poll names
- the larger sample and state coverage
- how results will be reported on election night
Leaves out
- how far the figures can be trusted
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
- CNNLeft
Exit polls have become the CNN Voter Poll. Here’s what that means
CNN’s Election Night coverage has for decades featured the results of surveys, known as exit polls that aim to explain how and why voters made their decisions. This year, those surveys are changing and they have a new name. …
1 more from CNN
- ABC NewsLeft
What you need to know about the Election Day Voter Poll
The Election Day Voter Poll helps answer the question of who won and why and explain what issues were important in the election.
From the center
1 outletLeads with
- how exit poll numbers are reworked after votes are counted
- how the survey is designed and run
- how much weight readers should give the results
Leaves out
- the CNN and ABC branding of their new Voter Poll products
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
- Straight Arrow NewsCenter
Can you trust tonight’s exit polls? Here’s how they work
The numbers you see on TV tonight are reworked once votes are counted. Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes and how much to trust them.
From the right
0 outletsNo right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?
The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
How the coverage built up
Left
First to report
ABC News, Nov 2, 3:29 PM EST
Center
1 day 2 hr later
Its first report, Nov 3, 5:31 PM EST
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- ABC NewsLeftNov 2, 3:29 PM EST
- CNNLeftNov 3, 12:50 AM EST
- Straight Arrow NewsCenterNov 3, 5:31 PM EST
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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