Listeners and viewers alike expect to see the results of exit polls within minutes of the voting coming to an end. But, of course, getting to this point is nowhere near as easy at it might seem. Different types of projections 2. Once upon a time Different types of projections Different elections involve different types of projections. In France, presidential and European elections, as well as referendums, generally only require a national picture.
Parliamentary elections are the most complex, with both national and local elements.
And for local elections with many fewer candidates the pollsters focus in on hot spots , towns or cities where the competition is particularly fierce. Parliamentary elections with more than 4,000 candidates take the most preparation. Happily, for local elections there are fewer candidates and, therefore, fewer possible permutations of results. For a local election, there will be a separate sample for each hot spot . However, in hot spots like Paris, where none of the polls close until 8.00pm, the pollster has to use the initial results from the exit poll, rather than waiting for the definitive count.