Electronic Forum — Former Show · History & Timeline

Former Show · the memorial record

⚰ Permanently closed · Mar 16, 1991operated 9 years · 1982–1991

Also known as EPCOT Poll.

This show is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.

Show history

the lifetime record

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1994

Area UpdateJul 1994#

CommuniCore East, the building that had housed the Electronic Forum, reopened as Innoventions East in July 1994 after a renovation.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1991

Area UpdateMar 17, 1991#

The Electronic Forum's former pre-show area opened as the World News Center on March 17, 1991, the day after the Forum closed, carrying top news stories on a bank of television monitors.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
◆ Latest milestone

RefurbishmentMar 16, 1991#

Electronic Forum closed permanently after more than eight years of EPCOT Poll voting in CommuniCore East.

D23 gives March 16, 1991. The Shapiro remembrance repeats the same December 1982 to March 1991 range but credits D23 for it, so it is a second telling rather than independent corroboration; the closing date rests on D23.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes
1982

NewDec 23, 1982#

Electronic Forum, home of the EPCOT Poll, opened in CommuniCore East at EPCOT Center, where seated guests answered current-issues questions using five lettered buttons set into the left armrest of each seat.

D23 gives the exact opening date of December 23, 1982, nearly three months after the park opened on October 1, 1982. The armrest detail comes from Arthur Shapiro of ASK Associates, whose firm wrote the poll questions: "On the left armrest of each seat were five red buttons (A, B, C, D, and E) that glowed in the dark." Shapiro notes Disney sometimes shot footage on the topic to show before the questions, so a film was not a fixed part of every cycle. D23 adds that for several years the aggregated poll results were sent to newspapers nationwide for publication.

Tracked byTheme Park Patch Notes

Questions & answers

When did Electronic Forum open?

Per the documented record, Electronic Forum at EPCOT opened on Dec 23, 1982.

When did Electronic Forum last close for refurbishment?

The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Electronic Forum is dated Mar 16, 1991: Electronic Forum closed permanently after more than eight years of EPCOT Poll voting in CommuniCore East.

What changed recently on Electronic Forum?

The latest documented change (documented Jul 1994): CommuniCore East, the building that had housed the Electronic Forum, reopened as Innoventions East in July 1994 after a renovation.

How many changes are on record for Electronic Forum?

4 documented changes, dating back to 1982 — the fan-kept show changelog nobody else keeps.

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