NY Times/Siena Poll; Harris up 3 natioanlly

[Pototan]

12. I don't know what your question means, but I'll try

The Times poll says Harris has 49% and Trump 46%. But, in the crosstabs there is a note that the margin is 4% because of rounding.

Now, this is just an example that I'm using, because the poll doesn't use decimal points.

So, let's say that Harris is 49.3%. That rounds down to 49%. Now, let's say, by way of example, that Trump is at 45.8%. That rounds up to 46%. But when you subtract Harris' 49.3% from Trump's 45.8%, you get a margin of 3.5%. 3.5% rounds up to 4%.

Those tenths in an actual election can be the margin of victory in some states. It was in 2016 and 2020. But letting us know that the margin rounds to 4%, that means it's not, say, 2.5% and has to be at least 3.5%. That rounding without decimals could amount to an unknow whole point. That makes quite a difference.