Your guide to exit polls: What to watch for as voting stops and the results start to come in

Millions of voters are headed to the polls connected Tuesday to formed their ballots successful the 2024 statesmanlike election and a bid of races down ballot. But it could instrumentality immoderate clip to number those results.

What could springiness anxious Americans crossed the state immoderate consciousness of wherever the state is headed is the exit polling which comes retired arsenic the results are coming successful connected Election Day.

The exit canvass is the lone survey conducted wholly of voters who person already formed their ballots successful the election.

It gives voters and quality organizations a amended consciousness of what is happening connected the crushed with voters connected Election Day and successful aboriginal voting arsenic the results travel in. 

The polling is conducted by Edison Research, which has been the lone probe steadfast to behaviour nationalist exit polling successful the United States since 2004. It besides does exit polling for midterms and statesmanlike primaries. 

The 2024 polling incudes voting locations astir the state connected Election Day arsenic good arsenic in-person exit polling astatine aboriginal voting locations and a premix of telephone and web surveys of voters who formed their ballots by message to get a afloat representation arsenic radical usage aggregate options for casting their ballots.

The information is provided to the National Election Pool, which arsenic a radical of media networks including ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC. The radical pulls unneurotic resources for 1 full ballot number and exit canvass operation. 

Those successful the excavation bash not study connected immoderate exit polling results earlier 5pm ET connected Election Day. As predetermination nighttime goes on, interviewers connected the crushed proceed to telephone successful much exit canvass results with the information being updated successful existent time. 

Exit polling is considered an important instrumentality due to the fact that it gives Americans, governmental analysts, researchers and adjacent campaigns a wide scope of accusation to analyse governmental trends and what antithetic groups of voters are reasoning astir arsenic they voted.

'It helps signifier however radical presumption the election, and however radical recognize the opinions of the American electorate,' said Rob Farbman from Edison Research.

Without the exit polling, the lone existent accusation disposable would beryllium the last ballot count. 

But erstwhile the canvass commencement to close, experts tin look exit polling information and voting information and commencement to bash investigation of what it each means. 

 The exit polling asks a assortment of questions including which campaigner they voted for successful the statesmanlike contention arsenic good arsenic different down-ballot races. 

But it besides asks a bid of different questions including what is the astir important contented for a person's vote. 

It is what allows the quality anchors and governmental pundits seated astir a array discussing an predetermination the assurance to accidental voters were focused connected the economy, migration oregon termination rights erstwhile they formed their ballots arsenic good arsenic denote projected results.

 It besides asks a bid of demographic questions including age, sex contention and acquisition which helps governmental analysts recognize trends including arsenic examples, however women versus men voted, whether young radical showed up, whether seniors leaned Republican oregon if Trump was capable to prime up enactment from much voters of color, etc.

The demographic information is besides utilized to assistance marque definite that the exit polling arsenic a full reflects the electorate that showed up. 

Strong turnout among women, achromatic voters and young radical could beryllium a bully aboriginal motion for Harris. Strong turnout among achromatic men and non-college educated voters could beryllium a bully motion for Trump. 

In summation to the nationalist exit polling, members of the National Election Pool besides determine which states exit polls volition beryllium conducted successful and find what questions voters are asked.

The questionnaires instrumentality astir 5 minutes for voters to complete. 

The nationalist exit polling volition beryllium taking from astir 20,000 interviews, according to NBC News' exit polling manager Stephanie Perry. The illustration size for each authorities exit canvass is astir 1,500 to 2,500 respondents.