AP VoteCast
AP VoteCast was a survey of American voters and nonvoters administered by NORC at the University of Chicago originally for media networks The Associated Press (AP) and Fox News (referred to by the network as the Fox News Voter Analysis.) The survey was created by Fox, the AP and NORC as a new way to survey voters and would additionally be used in later elections by outlets including NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, the USA Today Network, and the Wall Street Journal. VoteCast was first used in the 2018 midterm elections. The AP, NORC and Fox tested the new approach for the 2017 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the Senate election in Alabama. Prior to AP VoteCast, the original methodology of exit polls involved conducting in-person interviews as voters left the polls. AP VoteCast's methodology attempted to account for the increasing number of vote-by-mail voters, by moving away from in-person only exit polls. The project intended to improve the reliability of data and overcome exit poll biases. The survey used online and telephone interviews to reach voters. The AP and Fox News formerly were part of the National Election Pool, but have not collaborated on polling for presidential or midterm elections since 2016. Following SSRS's 2025 acquisition of Edison Research, the networks that make up the National Election Pool joined the AP and Fox to survey voters for the elections held that year. The Voter Poll by SSRS will also be used to survey voters during the 2026 elections.
AP VoteCast was a survey of American voters and nonvoters[1][2] administered by NORC at the University of Chicago originally for media networks The Associated Press (AP) and Fox News (referred to by the network as the Fox News Voter Analysis.) [2] The survey was created by Fox, the AP and NORC[3][4] as a new way to survey voters and would additionally be used in later elections by outlets including NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, the USA Today Network, and the Wall Street Journal[5][6].
VoteCast was first used in the 2018 midterm elections. The AP, NORC and Fox tested the new approach for the 2017 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the Senate election in Alabama. [3][4] Prior to AP VoteCast, the original methodology of exit polls involved conducting in-person interviews as voters left the polls. AP VoteCast's methodology attempted to account for the increasing number of vote-by-mail voters, by moving away from in-person only exit polls.[7] The project intended to improve the reliability of data and overcome exit poll biases.[8] The survey used online and telephone interviews to reach voters.[9]
The AP and Fox News formerly were part of the National Election Pool, but have not collaborated on polling for presidential or midterm elections since 2016.[10] Following SSRS's 2025 acquisition of Edison Research[11], the networks that make up the National Election Pool joined the AP and Fox to survey voters for the elections held that year.[12][13] The Voter Poll by SSRS will also be used to survey voters during the 2026 elections. [14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ "AP announces debut of new Election Day survey". Associated Press. May 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ a b "Fox News Voter Analysis launching to give new insights into midterm results on Election Day". Fox News. November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Montanaro, Domenico (May 21, 2018). "Election Night Shakeup: Here Come The New 'Exit' Polls". NPR. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ a b Meir, Nicole (May 14, 2018). "Beyond exit polls: A new way to survey voters". Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "AP VoteCast 2020" (PDF). NORC at the University of Chicago. May 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "2024 General Election Methodology" (PDF). apnorc.org. March 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ https://apnorc.org/projects/ap-votecast/
- ^ "AP VoteCast". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ Sanders, Linley; Yoon, Robert (October 8, 2024). "How AP VoteCast works, and how it's different from an exit poll". Associated Press. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ Shepard, Steven (9 December 2017). "Is this the beginning of the end of the exit poll?". Politico.
- ^ "SSRS Welcomes Edison Research in Acquisition to Expand Election and Media Research Offerings". SSRS. October 15, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "National News Networks Rely on The Voter Poll by SSRS for 2025 General Election Coverage". SSRS. November 5, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ^ Agiesta, Jennifer (November 3, 2025). "What to know about exit polls and how they've changed for this year's elections". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ Lenski, Joe; Conrad, Kristen (December 15, 2025). "State Level Findings from the 2025 Voter Polls". SSRS. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ Bowman, Karlyn (November 10, 2025). "Election Polls: Their Past, Present, and Future". American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved February 23, 2026.