Plurality (voting)
In voting, a plurality is the largest number of votes to be received by any candidate or proposition when three or more choices are possible. With only two choices the winner would have a majority, barring a strong showing from a write in. In American English (and also in Canadian usage), when there are more than two choices the candidate or proposition receiving the largest number of votes is said to have "a plurality".[1] The concept of plurality in voting can be contrasted with that of majority. A majority, in North American usage, is "more than half".[1] Combining these two concepts in a sentence makes it clearer, "A plurality of votes is a total vote received by a candidate greater than that received by any opponent but less than a 50 percent majority of the vote."[2]
In American English (and also in Canadian usage), when there are more than two choices, the candidate or proposition receiving the largest number of votes is said to have a "plurality", especially when that total does not constitute a majority, i.e. more than half of the votes cast.[1] A majority, in North American usage, is "more than half".[1] In British English, the word majority can often be used as a synonym of plurality, with the term absolute majority being used to refer to the narrower North American meaning.[3]
For example, an election of three candidates where 100 votes are cast, with candidate A winning 40 votes, and candidates B and C winning 31 and 29 votes respectively. A Welshman might say "Candidate A won with the majority of votes", whereas a Canadian wishing to express the same sentiment would say "Candidate A won with a plurality." The Canadian would only describe candidate A as winning with a majority if candidate A won at least 51 votes.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Robert, Henry M. "Introduction to Robert's Rules" Robert's Rules of Order Revised. 4th ed. 1915. RulesOnline.com Cite error: The named reference "Robert" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Political Lexicon: An Interactive Glossary of Terms from U.S. Politics". American Cultural Center Resource Service. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ As Fowler (1965) notes: "With three-cornered contests as common as they now are, we may have occasion to find a convenient single word for what we used to call an absolute majority... In America the word majority itself has that meaning while a poll greater than that of any other candidate, but less than half the votes cast, is called a plurality. It might be useful to borrow this distinction..." (Fowler, H.W. 1965 A Dictionary of Modern English Usage)
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