In Britain for the past two decades, there’s been a startlingly good answer just after the polls close, at 10 p.m.That’s when three major broadcasters reveal the results of the national exit poll.
The work of a team of statisticians and political scientists who swing into gear a few hours earlier, it has in recent years produced an increasingly accurate picture of the election results before the votes have been counted.
In the past five British general elections, the exit poll has predicted how many of the 650 or more parliamentary seats would be claimed by the winning party to within an average of four seats.
What’s an exit poll?
Since 2005, there’s been a single exit poll at each British general election, paid for by three major broadcasters, the BBC, ITV and Sky.
Persons:
who’s, there’s, Let’s, they’ve
Organizations:
BBC, ITV, Sky
Locations:
Britain, British