Final answer:
Exit polls are conducted on Election Day and can offer immediate predictions of election outcomes, contrasting with telephone polls, which may include non-voters and face challenges like nonresponses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Exit polls are surveys taken by interviewers who stand near polling locations on Election Day, asking voters how they voted immediately after they have cast their ballots. They aim to predict the outcome of an election before the official results are tallied. A significant advantage of exit polls over telephone polls is that exit polls capture the opinions of actual voters, while telephone polls may include opinions from a broader group, potentially including those who might not vote. Additionally, exit polls avoid issues such as nonresponses from unlisted or cellular numbers, a challenge often faced by telephone polling which typically uses random-digit-dialing (RDD) to generate phone numbers.
Despite their advantages, exit polls have some limitations. They can't account for absentee and early voters, and results may be skewed if the demographics of the polled population lean towards one party. Moreover, there's also the risk that broadcasted exit poll results could influence voter turnout, where perceived landslides may discourage potential voters from heading to the polls.