Plurality voting is when a candidate gets the most votes but not a majority. Majority voting is when a candidate gets at least 51% of the vote. Plurality voting can be criticized for allowing candidates to win without a clear mandate. Different countries use different voting systems, such as party list voting. Some countries use multiple rounds of voting to satisfy citizens. In the US, presidents are often elected by plurality voting.
A plurality vote is a vote in which one candidate gets more votes than any other candidate without getting a majority of votes. For a plurality to occur, there must be at least three candidates, since in a two-candidate race, one candidate would obviously win a majority of the vote. Many nations around the world use a plurality voting system to determine the outcome of their elections, although some people have criticized this method, arguing that it allows candidates to win without a clear mandate from the people.
Conversely, a majority vote involves a vote in which a candidate gets at least 51% of the vote, indicating that a majority of voters have selected that candidate. Some people use the term “absolute majority” to differentiate this type of vote from a plurality. In England, for example, people use “majority” to refer to a plurality and “absolute majority” to refer to a majority.
In a simple example of plurality voting, if a class of 30 students was asked to choose from three candidates for class president, and candidate A got 13 votes, candidate B got 9 votes, and candidate C got obtained 8 votes, candidate A would be the winner. As can be seen from this example, it is possible to win a plurality vote by a fairly narrow margin, sometimes much to the dismay of the people who voted for the other candidates.
You may also hear a plurality vote referred to as a winner takes all votes or a first after the next vote. Other nations use different systems, such as a party list system, where people vote for a specific party and seats on a legislative body are allocated based on the percentage of votes each party gets. Some people believe that proportional representation such as party list voting is more equitable, because it ensures that every citizen has a chance to be heard, even if they disagree with the plurality of the population.
There are a number of variations on the plurality system. For example, some nations use multiple rounds of voting in an effort to satisfy as many citizens as possible. If a candidate fails to obtain a majority of votes in the first round, the best candidates will advance to the second round, and so on. Others are linked to the system of plurality, which can sometimes exacerbate deep national divisions. In the United States, for example, presidents are often elected by plurality voting.
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