Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance gives his remarks to media after voting at his polling location at St. Anthony Padua Church in East Walnut Hills

If you vote today for the 2024 presidential election, you might be asked to take an exit poll when you leave your polling location. You might be wondering what they're for.

Exit polls are helpful for news organizations and researchers to look deeper into the 2024 election results. Here's what exit polls are and why they're useful in understanding elections.

What is an exit poll?

According to NBC, an exit poll is the only national survey of known voters as they leave their polling locations. It can help learn voters' demographics and what motivates them to vote for which candidate.

What are exit polls for? How do they work?

Exit polls are only available in select polling locations and can be conducted over the phone, through in-person interviews, or through an anonymous paper questionnaire, according to NBC.

The survey results can be used by news organizations, researchers, and voters to better understand why voters made their decisions on the ballot. The data collected from these questionnaires can help analyze the results as the votes are being tallied.

The data can also be used as a reporting tool to further investigate the issues that motivated voters to choose the candidate they voted for and how they feel about themselves and their country.

What questions are asked in an exit poll?

These questionnaires ask the voters who they voted for, their demographics (age, gender, race, education), and their opinions on candidates and the key issues discussed throughout the presidential race, such as abortion, immigration, crime, the economy, and racial equity, NBC reports.

How many people will be surveyed in this election's exit poll?

According to NBC, approximately 20,000 voters will be surveyed. The sample size for each state selected will be between 1,500 and 2,500 respondents.