Legal Definitions - plurality vote

A plurality vote refers to an electoral outcome where a candidate or option wins by receiving more votes than any other single candidate or option, but does not necessarily achieve an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the total votes cast. In systems that use a plurality vote, the individual or choice with the highest number of votes is declared the winner, regardless of whether they have the support of over half of the voters.

• Example 1: Mayoral Election

  Imagine a city mayoral election with three candidates: Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Chen, and Dr. Singh. After all votes are counted, Ms. Rodriguez receives 42% of the votes, Mr. Chen receives 35%, and Dr. Singh receives 23%. In a system based on a plurality vote, Ms. Rodriguez would be declared the winner. She secured the most votes (a plurality) among all candidates, even though she did not achieve an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the total votes cast.

• Example 2: Company Board Member Selection

  Consider a scenario where a company's shareholders are voting to fill a single open seat on the board of directors. There are four candidates: Ms. Davies, Mr. Kim, Ms. Patel, and Mr. Schmidt. The voting results are: Ms. Davies (38%), Mr. Kim (30%), Ms. Patel (22%), and Mr. Schmidt (10%). Under a plurality voting rule, Ms. Davies would be elected to the board. She received the highest number of votes, thus winning by plurality, despite not having the support of over half of the shareholders.

• Example 3: Community Park Feature Decision

  A local community group is deciding which new feature to add to a neighborhood park, with three options presented to residents: a new playground, a dog park, or an outdoor fitness area. After a community-wide vote, the playground option receives 48% of the votes, the dog park receives 32%, and the fitness area receives 20%. If the group operates on a plurality basis, the new playground would be selected. It garnered the most votes (a plurality) compared to the other options, even though it did not achieve an absolute majority of community support.