Legal Definitions - two-round voting

Two-round voting is an electoral system designed to ensure that the winning candidate achieves an absolute majority of votes, meaning more than half of all votes cast. This system involves two distinct rounds of voting. If no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first round, a second round is held. Typically, this second round features only the top two candidates from the first round, allowing voters to choose between the two most popular options and thereby ensuring one candidate ultimately receives over 50% of the votes.

Here are some examples to illustrate how two-round voting works:

• National Presidential Election: Imagine a country holding a presidential election with four candidates: Ms. Albright, Mr. Benson, Dr. Chen, and Professor Davis. In the first round of voting, Ms. Albright receives 42% of the votes, Mr. Benson gets 30%, Dr. Chen receives 18%, and Professor Davis gets 10%. Since no candidate achieved an absolute majority (over 50%), the election proceeds to a second round. In this runoff, only Ms. Albright and Mr. Benson, as the top two vote-getters, appear on the ballot. Voters then choose between these two, guaranteeing that one of them will win with more than 50% of the final votes.

  This example demonstrates two-round voting in a high-stakes national election, ensuring the elected president has a clear mandate from a majority of voters.

• Professional Association Leadership: Consider a large professional association that needs to elect a new president. There are three candidates: Sarah, Tom, and Ursula. In the initial vote among the members, Sarah receives 48% of the votes, Tom gets 35%, and Ursula receives 17%. Since Sarah did not reach the 50% threshold, the association's bylaws mandate a second round of voting. Only Sarah and Tom, being the two candidates with the most votes, advance to this final round. Members then cast their ballots again, selecting between Sarah and Tom, ensuring the new president is chosen by a majority.

  This illustrates how two-round voting can be applied in a non-governmental context, such as a professional organization, to ensure strong leadership with majority support.

• City Mayoral Race: A bustling city is electing its new mayor, and five candidates are on the ballot. After the first round of voting, Candidate A receives 38% of the votes, Candidate B receives 25%, Candidate C receives 20%, and the remaining candidates split 17%. Because no candidate secured an absolute majority, the city's election rules require a runoff election. Candidate A and Candidate B, having received the highest number of votes, move on to the second round. Citizens then vote again, choosing between these two candidates, which will result in one candidate winning with over 50% of the votes.

  This example shows two-round voting in a local government election, ensuring that the city's leader is chosen with broad support from the electorate rather than just a plurality.