It's bad enough that during the week or two before an election, the pollsters keep us "up-to-date" on what the latest polls say about the numbers in favour of each candidate. People who may intend to make some effort in favour of their guy/gal may not expend that effort if they think there are already sufficient numbers doing that.But the worst thing is..
...ELECTION DAY itself.
Watching TV and listening to the radio, reading websites... our wild eagerness to snatch any clues about what the future may hold forces us to stick to the media all day, even if we are at work or otherwise engaged. The background noise of the day is what the talking heads are saying.
Those who have very full lives and little time, and those who are a little bit disinclined to make that effort to go to the voting place just might not get up and go if they think, because of what they are hearing about the results counted SO FAR, that their person is winning easily- based upon the leaked numbers they see reported during the day. And if enough think that way, their candidate might lose simply because of this leaking of numbers.
I wish this leaking would not happen! I don't think we are getting true pictures of the real preferences of the population of our country, because of this.
I suppose this does not matter, when thrown into the ring with all the other things that skew results: Dishonest greedy people whose brothers are governors in certain states, for example, those brother-governors who may or may not-but most likely MAY influence results like JR Ewing influences results in any endeavour of his, the disfunctional voting machines, corrupted parties discarding loads of voters based on demographics and/or whatever suits them at the moment, etc.
But what kills me is the United States' insistence on MONITORING the elections of other countries, when here our elections are just as messed-up, or worse, than anybody else's.