PANHANDLE POLL FOLLOW-UP
Networks' Wrong Florida Call for Gore Depressed Voter Turnout in Florida's Central Time Zone

December 6, 2000

CONTACT:  John McLaughlin & Associates
  STUART POLK, Senior Analyst:
    spolk@mclaughlinonline.com (703/518-4445)
  CHARLIE BANKS, Data Specialist:
    cbanks@mclaughlinonline.com (845/353-4700)

NATIONAL MEDIA RELEASE

As a follow-up to the many emails and inquiries we've received regarding our November 15-16, 2000, Florida Panhandle Poll:  below are the actual voter turnout statistics comparing Florida's Eastern Time Zone turnout vs. its Central Time Zone turnout.

The bottom line is that Florida's Eastern Time Zone region showed a turnout rate of 68%, consistent with statewide turnout, whereas turnout in the Central Time Zone region, where the news networks called the state of Florida for Vice President Al Gore before the polls had closed, was only 65%.

Our November Panhandle poll found that registered voters in the Central Time Zone who would have made up for this discrepancy would have voted for Governor George W. Bush over Vice President Gore by roughly a 2-to-1 margin, as did the actual voters in that region.

If the Panhandle turnout had not been depressed by the media call and had stayed consistent with the statewide turnout rate of 68%, as the Eastern Time Zone region did, roughly another 15,000 voters would have come to the polls. Our survey indicates that these registered voters who were discouraged from voting by the media's premature call would have voted for Governor Bush by 2-to-1, and would have widened his lead by about 5,000 votes.  This expanded margin would have rendered much of the current litigation and manual recounting unnecessary.

Florida 2000 Statewide Totals
Voter Registration	8,752,717
Voter Turnout	5,961,266
Turnout Rate	68 %
Registered Non-Voter Rate	32 %

Florida 2000 Central Time Zone Totals
Voter Registration	540,610
Voter Turnout	353,527
Turnout Rate	65 %
Registered Non-Voter Rate	35 %

Florida 2000 Eastern Time Zone Totals
Voter Registration	8,212,107
Voter Turnout	5,607,739
Turnout Rate	68 %
Registered Non-Voter Rate	32 %

Summary of Voter Turnout Rates
Region	Turnout Rate	Reg. Non-Voter Rate
Florida Statewide	68 %	32 %
Florida CTZ	65 %	35 %
Florida ETZ	68 %	32 %

A compressed file containing the full results of our November 15-16 Panhandle poll may be downloaded at the page on our site containing the original media release regarding this poll.

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