Legal Definitions - first-past-the-post voting

First-past-the-post voting is an electoral system where the candidate who receives the most votes in a given election or constituency wins. This means a candidate can secure victory by achieving a plurality of votes – having more votes than any other single candidate – even if they do not achieve an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the total votes cast. This system is also commonly referred to as plurality voting.

Here are some examples to illustrate how first-past-the-post voting works:

• Local City Council Election: Imagine a city holding an election for a single seat on its council. There are four candidates running: Ms. Anya Sharma, Mr. Ben Carter, Dr. Carla Rossi, and Mr. David Lee. The results are:

  • Ms. Anya Sharma: 38% of the votes
  • Mr. Ben Carter: 30% of the votes
  • Dr. Carla Rossi: 22% of the votes
  • Mr. David Lee: 10% of the votes

  Under a first-past-the-post system, Ms. Anya Sharma would win the election. She received the highest number of votes (38%), even though she did not secure an absolute majority (more than 50%) of all votes cast. Her plurality of votes is sufficient for victory.

• National Parliamentary Constituency: Consider a country that uses first-past-the-post for its national legislative elections. In the "Riverside District" constituency, five candidates are competing for one seat: one from the Progressive Party, one from the Conservative Party, one from the Green Party, one from the Nationalist Party, and an independent candidate. The vote breakdown is:

  • Progressive Party candidate: 32%
  • Conservative Party candidate: 29%
  • Green Party candidate: 18%
  • Nationalist Party candidate: 14%
  • Independent candidate: 7%

  The Progressive Party candidate would be declared the winner for the Riverside District seat. Despite not having the support of more than half the voters in the district, they received the largest share of votes among all candidates, thus winning by plurality under the first-past-the-post rule.

• University Student Government Presidency: A university student body is electing its new president. There are three candidates: Emily, Mark, and Sophia. The election results are:

  • Emily: 48% of the votes
  • Mark: 35% of the votes
  • Sophia: 17% of the votes

  In this scenario, Emily would become the student body president. Even though 52% of the students voted for someone else, Emily won because she received more votes than any other individual candidate, demonstrating the first-past-the-post principle where a plurality is sufficient for victory.