Banning Exit Polling Within a Prescribed Distance from the Polls

The purpose of legislation banning exit polling within a prescribed distance from the polls would be to make exit polling more difficult. Banning Media Access to Ballot Counts

If Congress could not ban media projections outright, could it prohibit government officials from releasing ballot counts to the media? Could Congress, that is,deny media access to ballot counts, either when the polls have not closed in the jurisdiction whose votes are beingcounted, or when the polls have not closedacross the nation?
Media projections may be based both on exit polls and on information acquired as toactual ballot counts. The FirstAmendment would generally preclude Congress from prohibiting the media from interviewing voters after they exitthe polls. It apparently would also precludeCongress from prohibiting the media from reporting the results of those polls. Congress, could, however, ban votersolicitation within a certain distance from apolling place, and might be able to include exit polling within such a ban. It also might be able to deny media accessto ballot counts, either when the polls havenot closed in the jurisdiction whose votes are being counted, or when the polls have not closed across the nation.