Final answer:
An exit poll is conducted by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place to predict the outcome of an election. It seeks to be representative and systematic, distinguishing it from informal straw polls or influence-driven push polls.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a person stands outside of a polling place and asks those leaving for whom they voted, they are conducting an exit poll. This method of polling operates by interviewing voters right after they've cast their ballots to predict the outcome of the election. Unlike straw polls, which are informal and conducted among non-random populations, exit polls attempt to create a representative and random sample to accurately reflect the opinions of the electorate. Nonetheless, factors like the selection of polling sites, willing participation, and truthful responses can affect the accuracy of these polls. Exit polls can influence public perception by providing early insights into the direction of the election, though they have limitations, such as not accounting for absentee and early voters.
Selecting a straw poll for this scenario would be incorrect because straw polls are unofficial and non-random, whereas asking voters as they leave the polling place attempts to be representative and systematic. It's also not a push poll, which aims to influence voters with leading questions rather than to gather their opinions. Finally, it's not a scientific opinion poll, although exit polls strive for some level of scientific rigor in sample selection and methodology.