Plurality
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A plurality, relative majority or simple majority is the largest share of something, which may or may not be considered an absolute majority, i.e. it is the largest group/category, but is not necessarily more than half.
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U.S. usage
In United States usage, a simple majority does not include abstentions or absent members. It is more strict than a plurality vote, but less strict than an absolute majority vote.[citation needed]
The plurality voting system, also known as "First past the post", elects the candidate who is the stated first choice of the largest number of the voters who have cast a valid vote.
Different meanings
The meaning of "plurality" depends on how the elements are categorized. For instance, in a room with 12 people: three Germans; two English people; two English-speaking Canadians; one Mexican, two Guatemalans; and two Americans:
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- considered by national origin, the three Germans are the plurality;
- considered by continent the seven North Americans (Canadians, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and Americans) are a plurality;
- considered by primary national language, the six Anglophones (Englishmen, Canadians, and Americans) are a plurality; and
- considered by both continent and language, the four English speaking North Americans (Canadians and Americans) are a plurality.
However, only the seven North Americans, when considered by continent, constitute a majority (more than six). In the context of voting, this ambiguity can lead to coalitions of greater or lesser stability.
Smallest possible plurality
The smallest possible plurality is (v+1)/n, rounded up, where v is the number of members of the group (voters) and n is the number of categories (candidates). Thus in a five-candidate plurality election, just over 20 percent of the vote can theoretically win. If n is 2 then the plurality becomes a majority.
Religious councils
In religion, the term plurality has been coined to refer to an alternative system of church government, wherein the local assembly's decisions are made by a committee, each typically called an elder, in contrast to the "singularity" of the bishop hierarchy system (of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches); or the pastor / president system (of Protestant churches).
The plurality system is commonly encouraged among Presbyterians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Plymouth Brethren, and some Apostolics.
Plurality is a slang term for Presbyterian ecclesiastical polity.
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| Single member | Plurality · Majority · Absolute majority · Supermajority · Double majority |
| Multi-member (election threshold) | Hare quota · Droop quota · Imperiali quota · Hagenbach-Bischoff quota · Ross quota |
