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Article: Errors Plagued Election Night Polling Service; VNS Report Also Faults Networks in Fla. Blunder
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The polling organization responsible for the biggest blunder in
television history on election night was plagued by a series of
errors that distorted the Florida vote all night long, a confidential
report concludes.
The internal investigation by Voter News Service also makes clear
that its techniques were inherently risky for the networks that rely
on its data.
The group had no reliable way of estimating the number of
Florida's absentee ballots in the presidential race, which were
almost double what it had expected. What's more, the news service
dramatically underestimated the number of Florida votes still
uncounted at 2 a.m.
"Budget limitations" have "placed heavy burdens on all VNS staff ...