BY JULIE HINDS | FREE PRESS

Now that it’s after 5 p.m., here comes the trickle of exit poll information on the cable news networks and politically themed Web sites.

Over at CNN, Bill Schneider said the exit polls indicate the economy was the top issue for 62 percent of voters, with Iraq coming in at 10 percent and terrorism and health care tied at nine percent.

Looking at battleground states, Fox News reported that 73 percent of new voters in Indiana chose Obama, while 27 percent chose McCain, according to the exit poll data. In Ohio, the new voter numbers were 69 percent Obama and 31 percent McCain.

And the Drudge Report Web site claimed in headline-only fashion: “Senate: Dems See 58 Seats; Exit Polls Show Obama Big.”

On the Huffington Post, a report said that “more voters were scared of a potential McCain presidency — 30 percent — than an Obama win — 23 percent.”

The consortium of news groups gathering the exit poll data agreed this year to keep the information under wraps until 5 p.m.

In 2004, early exit poll data leaked early in the afternoon on election day and indicated that John Kerry was ahead.