In Summary:
- Diaspora Alert published an article with a headline, “Edith Gongloe-Weh has an early lead in Nimba Senatorial by-elections.”
- We have reviewed the news story and found no evidence to back the claim.
An online site Diaspora Alert, which is a “Liberian diaspora media institution dedicated to amplifying the voices of ordinary Liberia and promoting accountability” published an article on Tuesday, April 22 claiming that “Edith Gongloe Weh takes early lead in Nimba exit polls” is having an early lead in the senatorial by-election for Nimba County.
Madam Edith Gongloe Weh is one of seven candidates seeking to replace the late Senator Prince Y. Johnson.
Claim
An excerpt from the article reads: “early exit opinion polls conducted by its partners reporters in Nimba, Edith Gongloe Weh has taken an early lead”.
Rating Justification
To check this claim, we analyzed the article and found that it did not say the name of its partner institutions, nor did it state which specific locations in Nimba County the exit polls were conducted. The article also did not disclose how the exit polls were conducted and how many persons were interviewed after casting their ballots.
Also, voting in the by-election is still underway, and no early results have been announced.
The National Elections Commission, which is the body clothed with the authority to conduct elections and announce the winner, has said through its chairperson Devidetta Brown Lansanah in an OK FM interview that it will begin to announce preliminary results on Wednesday, April 23.
What is an Exit Poll?
According to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), an election exit poll is a survey based on interviews with voters as they leave (or exit) their balloting locations. To estimate the outcome of an election in a particular constituency, a sample of its smallest voting units (often referred to as precincts or polling locations) is drawn and at least one interviewer is assigned to each sampled location on Election Day.
On a pre-determined and systematic basis, the interviewer approaches people who have already voted in order to obtain an interview. For example, depending upon the expected number of voters at the sample location, the interviewer may approach every third or fifth person who leaves the voting location.
The interviewer usually hands the voter a questionnaire on a clipboard and asks him or her to fill out the questionnaire, fold it up, and deposit it in a survey ballot box. In most instances the exit poll questionnaire is self-administered to protect the privacy of the voter and the confidentiality of each individual’s responses.
Conclusion
Based on this fact, we conclude that the article published by the Diaspora Alert which that Edith Gongloe Weh is an early lead in Nimba senatorial by-election is misleading.
Voting in the election is still ongoing, and the authority to announce results from the poll lies with the National Elections Commission. The NEC will begin announcing preliminary results on Wednesday.
