Right up to election day many polls showed Kerry leading Bush by a significant margin, and early exit polling confirmed this misapprehension. Why were the polls so wrong and what does it mean to _be ahead_ in the polls? How ephemeral are these leads at different stages of the campaign? Who sponsors the polls? How are they conducted? What do they mean? For the third presidential election running, Michael W. Traugott and Paul J. Lavrakas give voters everything they need to know about election polls and why it matters that we understand them. If statistics are worse than lies, just think what misreading the polls can do!