Exit Polls 2012: Presidential Election Early Voting Results for Swing States Released 5PM ET
Americans across the country are anxiously awaiting exit polls for the 2012 Elections to see whether President Barack Obama will gain a second term, or whether Republican candidate Mitt Romney will enter the White House.
Official exit polls results have been agreed by major news networks to be held back until each particular state's polls close. Political analysts from ABC, Associated Press, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC have agreed to "report general trends but cannot report the results of exit polls until the polls close," according to Poynter.
Prior to official election results start coming in, voters everywhere will be hoping to get an early peek at any indicators about how polling has gone. Preliminary exit poll results should be released from 5 p.m. ET and should give some idea about how early polling has gone in one of the tightest presidential elections in recent times.
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With 270 Electoral College Votes needed to enter the White House, the swing states remain essential and will be key in deciding who will win the election.
According to Rasmussen Reports, among those who have already voted prior to election day 43 percent are Democrat, and 33 percent are Republican. That is good news for the president as both candidates are thought to have extremely strong and loyal backing from their own party members.
However, interestingly Romney has a double-digit advantage when it comes to unaffiliated voters, according to Rasmussen.
Romney also leads among white voters, claiming 58 percent, where as Obama leads strongly among non-white voters.
Prior to election day the Associated Press has also reported that approximately 30 million people have already voted across 34 states and the District of Columbia. Early voting has been conducted by mail or in person.
The results show that some swing states are releasing information on which party affiliation early voters have held.
Here are the figures that have been released by the Associated Press:
Colorado
Votes: 1.6 million
Democrats: 35 percent
Republicans: 37 percent
Florida
Votes: 4.3 million
Democrats: 43 percent
Republicans: 40 percent
Iowa
Votes: 614,000
Democrats: 43 percent
Republicans: 32 percent
Nevada
Votes: 702,000
Democrats: 44 percent
Republicans: 37 percent
North Carolina
Votes: 2.7 million
Democrats: 48 percent
Republicans: 32 percent
Ohio
Votes: 1.6 million
Democrats: 29 percent
Republicans: 23 percent
