MRA Welcomes Relaxation of Exit Polling Legislation

In the US, the Marketing Research Association (MRA) has endorsed legislation in the state of Minnesota that would make it legal for researchers to conduct exit polling near to voting stations.

In 2008, six national news companies filed a lawsuit against a Minnesota law, claiming it prevented them from conducting accurate exit polls.

The statute, entitled 'Lingering near polling place', prevents anyone who is not voting from getting close to polling stations - within 100 feet of the building's exit.

It was filed by a group of media organizations known as the National Election Pool, which said at the time that the statute inhibited their rights under the First Amendment.

MRA is supporting the latest bill (SF 2388), sponsored by Senator Katie Sieben, which will promote genuine research by ensuring that exit pollsters can legally conduct research near voting places in Minnesota.

Current local law does not allow anyone except an election official or an individual who is waiting to register or to vote, to linger close to a polling station. If passed, SF 2388 will add to that exception: 'or an individual who is conducting exit polling', and define exit polling as 'approaching voters in a predetermined pattern as they leave the polling place after they have voted, and asking voters to fill out an anonymous, written questionnaire'.

'It is not just TV news outlets conducting exit polls - plenty of survey and opinion research organizations are involved,' explained MRA's Director of Government Affairs, Howard Fienberg. 'This vital arm of research provides depth into how voters voted, and why they made the choices they did.'

The bill is being considered in a hearing of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Operations and Oversight.

Web site: www.mra-net.org .