An election research firm wants to do exit polling in Benton County during the Nov. 2 general election, but county officials were split Friday on whether to accommodate the request or how best to do so.
Edison Research of New Jersey sent a letter detailing its request to Amy Huston, Benton County election coordinator.
Edison Research has been commissioned by the National Election Pool, which it identified as including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN and The Associated Press, to analyze voter behavior and examine public opinion on issues important to Arkansas voters, according to the letter.
The research firm wants to have interviewers in three Benton County polling places, according to the letter. The company asks polling place officials to allow their interviewers to stand 6 feet away from the voting booth where all voters will pass as they leave. According to the company, voters will be asked to participate after they have voted, voters will not be asked for their names or addresses and all responses will be nonverbal.
The company also asked Huston to keep the request confidential and to not share it with the media. Huston forwarded the letter to the Election Commission and commissioners discussed the request during their regular public meeting Friday.
Commissioner E.J. Miller strongly opposed the request, saying it could be disruptive and allowing the interviews to be done inside a polling place might improperly influence some voters.
“Suppose they’re standing there, and I were to say, ‘Well I voted for so-and-so.’” Miller said. “That kind of talk might influence people who are standing in line waiting to vote.”
Commission Chairman Bill Williams said he would consider discussing how someone voted to be electioneering, which is forbidden at polling places. By state law anyone campaigning for office or supporting a candidate or an issue has to remain at least 100 feet from any polling place.
Miller suggested the pollsters be kept at a similar distance, but Williams said the commission probably couldn’t enforce such a restriction.
AT A GLANCE
2008 General Election Turnout
The turnout for the 2008 general election was 73.83 percent. With 105,759 registered voters in 2010, a similar turnout for the Nov. 2 general election will result in 78,082 votes cast.
Source: Benton County Election Commission
“These people are not electioneering,” Williams said. “We don’t have the authority to prevent them from being there. We do have the authority to prevent them from interfering with the election.”
Williams said his initial inclination was to allow the exit polling, but to have it done outside the polling place and away from people waiting to vote. The commission took no action on the request.
The commission did agree to order 13,642 paper ballots for the Nov. 2 election. Williams said the number was arrived at through a formula considering the 2008 general election turnout, the current number of registered voters and the paper ballot usage in the 2010 primary election. Each precinct will have a minimum of 10 paper ballots.
“The use of paper ballots has declined dramatically,” Williams said.