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Plurality
 
 
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In voting, a plurality is the largest number of votes
Voting

Voting is a method for a Group such as a meeting or an Constituency to decision making or express an opinion ? often following discussions, debates or election campaigns....
 to be received by any candidate or proposition
Proposition

This article is about the term proposition in logic and philosophy; for other uses see PropositionIn logic and philosophy, proposition refers to either the "content" or Meaning of a meaningful declarative sentence or the pattern of symbols, marks, or sounds that make up a meaningful declarative sentence....
 when three or more choices are possible. With only two choices the winner would have a majority
Majority

A majority, also known as a simple majority in the United States of America, is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group....
, barring a strong showing from a write-in. In American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
 (and also in Canadian usage
Canadian English

Canadian English is the Variety of English language used in Canada. More than 26 million Canadians have some knowledge of English . Approximately 17 million speak English as their native language....
), when there are more than two choices the candidate or proposition receiving the largest number of votes is said to have "a plurality". The concept of plurality in voting can be contrasted with that of majority. A majority, in North American usage, is "more than half".






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In voting, a plurality is the largest number of votes
Voting

Voting is a method for a Group such as a meeting or an Constituency to decision making or express an opinion ? often following discussions, debates or election campaigns....
 to be received by any candidate or proposition
Proposition

This article is about the term proposition in logic and philosophy; for other uses see PropositionIn logic and philosophy, proposition refers to either the "content" or Meaning of a meaningful declarative sentence or the pattern of symbols, marks, or sounds that make up a meaningful declarative sentence....
 when three or more choices are possible. With only two choices the winner would have a majority
Majority

A majority, also known as a simple majority in the United States of America, is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group....
, barring a strong showing from a write-in. In American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
 (and also in Canadian usage
Canadian English

Canadian English is the Variety of English language used in Canada. More than 26 million Canadians have some knowledge of English . Approximately 17 million speak English as their native language....
), when there are more than two choices the candidate or proposition receiving the largest number of votes is said to have "a plurality". The concept of plurality in voting can be contrasted with that of majority. A majority, in North American usage, is "more than half". 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."

In American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
 (and also in Canadian usage
Canadian English

Canadian English is the Variety of English language used in Canada. More than 26 million Canadians have some knowledge of English . Approximately 17 million speak English as their native language....
), 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. A majority, in North American usage, is "more than half". 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.

For example, an election of three candidates where 100 votes are cast, with Alice winning 40 votes, and Bob and Carol winning 31 and 29 votes respectively. A Welshman might say "Alice won with the majority of votes", whereas a Canadian wishing to express the same sentiment would say "Alice won with a plurality." The Canadian would only describe Alice as winning with a majority if Alice won at least 51 votes.

See also

  • Plurality voting system
    Plurality voting system

    The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Constituency....