Early-Voting Exit Poll for UCF’s Puerto Rico Research Hub

Challenge

The Puerto Rico Research Hub wanted timely evidence about what motivated Orange County primary election voters, which issues they prioritized, and how they viewed the people responsible for addressing those issues. An exit poll could capture views close to the moment of voting, but it also needed a practical field plan and careful reporting of who actually responded.

Objective

Collect and report the experiences and priorities of eligible voters leaving the UCF early voting site, with particular attention to the Puerto Rican community and clear limits on what a small subgroup could show.

Solution

Summit Survey Research partnered with the Puerto Rico Research Hub across the full polling research plan. We developed the exit poll methods and survey instrument with the client, supported the IRB protocol, programmed and tested the survey in Qualtrics, trained surveyors, and oversaw collection at the UCF early voting site. We then cleaned and analyzed responses and prepared the findings report.

Fieldwork ran August 3–13, 2026. The report documents 96 completed surveys: 94 in-person tablet interviews and two responses through a take-home QR code option. Among 164 eligible people approached, 96 completed the survey, for a 59% response rate. These details make the study’s reach and limitations visible to readers.

Key Findings

• Everyday costs led the issue list. When respondents could select up to three national problems, 49% selected lower everyday costs, followed by schools and education (38%), affordable housing (35%), and healthcare access (35%). These results are based on all 96 respondents.
• Expectations and trust diverged. Federal officials were the most frequently selected group expected to make change (34%), while 82% reported little or no trust in federally elected officials to do the right thing. These results are based on 95 respondents.

These are findings among respondents at one UCF early voting site, not estimates for all Orange County voters. The report notes that respondents skewed younger, whiter, and more Democratic than the county population. Only eight respondents identified as Puerto Rican, so the case study does not generalize from that subgroup.