I miss exit polls. Very specifically: I miss leaked exit polls way early in the day.

In some of the early and formative years here at NRO, this is what we did on Election Day.

It sure beat listening to everyone talk about what they were not going to talk about all day.

Remember when John Kerry was president? Al Gore?

Those leaked exists polls early in the day would become motivators. Get yourself out to vote. If mere civic duty hadn’t gotten you to the voting booth, guilt and fear might get the job done.

(Republican officials often on the losing side of those early exit polls never did buy my make-lemonade urging, as it happened. Election Days were good for striking friendships with readers but not with the next round of senior White House aides.)

I say this as someone who isn’t into poll watching. But I miss those exit poll Election Days.

It was a great community-building exercise here at NRO. Anxiety would be high and calm but urgent civic education would be the prescription and cure. We had great exchanges with our dear readers in those days. Some of you remember quite well.

That’s my confession for the day. I miss when we had something to talk about on Election Day.