News groups challenge Minnesota exit poll law

US-- A group of news organisations is challenging a Minnesota law that prohibits exit pollsters from standing within 100 feet of polling stations.

In April an existing ban on people standing within 100 feet of the room where polling is taking place was extended to keep them 100 feet from the building containing the polling station.

The plaintiffs claim this will make it much harder for them to identify and stop people who have just voted, making their polls less reliable. They are challenging the law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, as it “impermissibly restricts plaintiffs' speech and commentary about the political process”.

Similar rules in several other states have been removed in all cases where they have been challenged, including South Dakota's presidential primary earlier this year.

The group mounting the challenge includes the Associated Press and broadcasters ABC, CNN, CBS, Fox and NBC, who are all members of the National Election Pool, a consortium formed to provide figures and analysis on elections, in conjunction with Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

Having conducted polls for other elections in the state, including in 2004 and 2006, the plaintiffs said they were “not aware of any complaint from defendants or any other election official that any of the reporters conducting those exit polls – or any other exit poll reporters – interfered with the voting process or hindered any voters in any manner”.

A preliminary hearing is to be held next Thursday.

Author: Robert Bain

Related links:

South Dakota exit poll restriction lifted

South Dakota faces lawsuit over exit poll restrictions