Exit polls will survey about 6,500 Latvian voters

About 6,500 people will be asked how they voted in exit polls at polling stations during Saturday’s Saeima elections, Latvian Public Media (LSM) reports. The poll is being conducted by LETA, Riga Stradins University and LSM, with methodological support from SKDS.

The surveys will take place outside 70 polling stations, including 27 in Riga. At each station, up to 90 voters will be interviewed at different times. Pollsters will aim to approach every third person leaving a station and avoid interviewing members of the same family. They may depart from this approach only at stations with low turnout.

Voters will be asked one question: “Who did you vote for?” Pollsters will record the party named; voters will not need to fill in a form or give their names.

Exit poll results are published as soon as polling stations close, while election officials are still counting ballots. The previous Saeima election exit poll indicated the parties’ ranking fairly accurately and mostly identified which parties would cross the 5% threshold to enter parliament.

Students will conduct the interviews and make general observations during election day.