UVA Politics Honors Students Design Exit Poll for Election Day

At the University of Virginia, a group of six honors students in the Department of Politics is preparing to carry out a citywide exit poll on Election Day, November 3. These students are not alone in their endeavor; they are joined by over 100 undergraduates from politics courses who will assist in surveying voters at Charlottesville’s nine precincts. Their goal is to gather insights into American politics, foreign policy, and socioeconomic trends, with the analysis and findings to be completed by the semester’s conclusion.

Admission into this Honors Program is notably competitive, with only six students selected each year. Participants engage in rigorous graduate-level seminars covering various political domains, such as American politics and international relations, alongside their standard coursework. The current cohort includes Amelia Cantwell, Hareem Mubashar, Zachary Geller, Ying Lei Pham, Taylor Petrofski, and Jackson DeHaven.

This year marks the second instance of the honors students conducting a comprehensive exit poll. According to Jennifer Lawless, the program director, “We wanted to create an opportunity on day 1 for students to learn what’s involved in conducting original research. The exit poll project does just that.” The students quickly delve into selecting topics, forming hypotheses, and crafting survey questions, setting the groundwork for their thesis by their fourth year.

Participants are enthusiastic about the program’s challenges. Mubashar, a politics and philosophy major from Richmond, expressed, “Things certainly got started fast, but I think that’s the fun of the program.” Similarly, Petrofski from Suwanee, Georgia, who majors in politics and national security, noted the program’s focus on exploring questions without definitive answers.

The integrity of the poll is crucial, so the specific questions remain confidential. However, they focus on political issues rather than voting preferences. The University’s Institutional Review Board has approved the poll, ensuring compliance with federal research guidelines. Todd Sechser, the politics department chair, emphasized the importance of precise language in survey questions, stating, “Every word in the survey matters. One loaded adjective can swing the results, and we won’t realize it until it’s too late.”

The students are aware of the demands voters face, as Sechser explained that their questions must be brief and clear enough for quick responses, often in less than ideal conditions. Despite the program’s rigorous nature, students like DeHaven, a politics major from Richmond, appreciate the opportunity to engage critically with complex ideas.

Geller, an Austin native with a double major in politics and media studies, described the program as the “Top Gun” of the University’s politics department, highlighting his enthusiasm for both challenges and politics. Pham, from Cincinnati, has already found the program transformative, aiming to develop an analytical approach to political ideas.