Plurality voting
Type of electoral system / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in the candidates in an electoral district who poll more than any other (that is, receive a plurality) are elected. Used for elections of various offices or representative bodies, it is often contrasted with proportional representation[1][2] (where the composition of the body reflects the percentage of the votes received across all districts). Plurality voting is also called simple majority or relative majority voting[citation needed], however, is it also often explicitly distinguished from majority voting, in which a winning candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes: more than half of all votes (more than all other candidates combined if each voter has one vote).
It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled First past the post and Plurality (voting). (discuss) (May 2024) |
Under single-winner plurality voting, and in systems based on single-member districts, plurality voting is called single member [district] plurality (SMP)[3][4], which is widely known as "first-past-the-post". In SMP/FPTP the leading candidate, whether or not they have a majority of votes, is elected.[5]
There are several versions of plurality voting for multi-member district[6]. The system that elects multiple winners at once with the plurality rule and where each voter casts multiple X votes in a multi-seat district is referred to as plurality block voting. A semi-proportional system that elects multiple winners elected at once with the plurality rule and where each voter casts just one vote in a multi-seat district is known as single non-transferable voting.
Plurality voting is widely used throughout the English-speaking world as a result of its spread by the British Empire, including in most of the United States. Outside of the English-speaking world, it is slightly less popular than its close relatives, the runoff family of methods[citation needed]. For example, an overwhelming majority of directly elected heads of state are elected via the two-round system, only a few by first-past-the-post, but single-member plurality is a very common feature in legislative elections, often used exclusively or as part of mixed-systems to elect members of parliaments.
Social choice theorists and electoral reform advocates are generally opposed to plurality voting and its variants, citing major issues such as a high vulnerability to spoilers, a tendency towards duopoly and lesser of two evils voting, and their bias toward extremist candidates (as a result of failing the median voter theorem).