Yet, the press fails us. The media are frequently misrepresenting the meaning of polls. He implied that while one poll shows the candidates tied, the other shows Gore to be ahead. This isn't true. A poll shows that a candidate is ahead only when the difference between his support and the support for another candidate is twice the margin of error.
Polls measure averages.
The margin of error demonstrates the range where that average could be. For example, if 45 percent of voters say they will vote for you, in a poll with a margin of error of five percent, that means your support is somewhere between 40 and 50 percent. If in the same poll, your opponent gets 39 percent support, the six percent difference does not mean you are ahead. Because your support could be as low as 41 percent, and that of your opponent as high as 44 percent, you are tied. No one has an edge.