Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Term: ONE-HALF PLUS ONE
Definition: One-half plus one is a way to approximate a majority, which means more than half. For example, if there are 100 people, a majority would be 51. However, if there is an odd number of people, "half plus one" would not be a whole number. So, it's better to use "a simple majority" to mean more than half. This is also called 50 percent plus one.
Explanation: One-half plus one is a way to figure out what most people want. If there are 100 people, more than half of them would be 51. But if there are 99 people, half of them would be 49.5, which is not a whole number. So, we use "a simple majority" to mean more than half. This is also called 50 percent plus one.
Definition: One-half plus one is a common but imprecise way of approximating a majority. It is often used to refer to the number of votes or members needed to make a decision or pass a resolution.
For example, in a group of 100 members, a majority would be 51 votes (half plus one). However, if the group had an odd number of members, "half plus one" would not be a whole number, so it would not accurately represent a majority.
Instead, "a simple majority" is a better term to use when referring to majority rule. This means that more than half of the votes or members are needed to make a decision or pass a resolution.
For instance, if a group had 15 members, a simple majority would be 8 votes (more than half of 15). This ensures that decisions are made by a clear majority and not just a close approximation.