Pew's Final Pre-Election Poll: O + 6 among likelys, + 11 among registered

The sample size is large: 2,587 people, and the field work is recent: from October 29 - November 1. Pew calls the six point lead "significant" even though it is smaller than Obama's lead in two previous polls; Pew finds that a slight majority of undecided voters broke -- are breaking -- toward McCain, and his margin among Republicans is up slightly. With undecideds allocated, Obama leads by eight  -- 52 to 44 -- in a four person race.

Obama's still leading among independents; McCain has gained among middle-income voters (between $30,000 and $70,000) and younger voters (though Obama still has a two-to-one margin in the latter category.) 

Obama's number among African Americans in this survey is 89%; he's getting 61% of the Hispanic vote. He's about tied with McCain among non-Hispanic Catholics;

76% of voters in battleground states say they've gotten some sort of direct contact from the campaigns.  Obama voters reporting getting more home visits than McCain; McCain voters report getting more robocalls than Obama.

Among early voters, Obama has a sizeable lead; among those who say they're going to vote on election day, the race is tied.