# Can you trust tonight’s exit polls?

> How exit polls work to explain election results without picking winners.
- Title: Can you trust tonight’s exit polls? · Straight Arrow
- Summary: How exit polls work to explain election results without picking winners. Exit polls help explain election results by showing voter opinions but change as…
- Keywords: 2026 election, elections, midterms, poll, election, Straight Arrow
- Source: Straight Arrow — https://san.com/cc/can-you-trust-tonights-exit-polls-heres-how-they-work
- Published: 2026-11-03T22:31:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: 2026 election, elections, midterms, poll, election, news, politics, world
## What is an exit poll?
Exit polls ask voters how they voted and their views on parties and the country’s direction.
## How many voters are surveyed?
SSRS surveys roughly 100,000 voters online or by phone before Election Day.
## Where are exit polls conducted?
SSRS picks 30 polling places in each of 15 states with high Election Day turnout.
## How are responses collected?
Interviewers approach every nth voter leaving to complete at least 50 questionnaires per location.
## How long does the survey take?
The survey has 20 to 25 questions and takes most voters about five minutes.
## How are results processed?
SSRS combines online and phone responses with paper surveys to create national and state-level data.
## Why do numbers change?
SSRS adjusts results based on voter demographics to account for nonresponse bias.
## How accurate are exit polls?
Nationally, SSRS expects a margin of error of about 0.6 percentage points in either direction.
## What happens next?
Exit poll results will be adjusted after vote counts finalize to match actual results.
## Key takeaway

Exit polls help explain election results by showing voter opinions but change as vote counts finalize.