plurality

(noun)

A number of votes for a single candidate or position which is greater than the number of votes gained by any other single candidate or position voted for, but which is less than a majority of valid votes cast.

Related Terms

Examples of plurality in the following topics:

  • Americanization and Pluralism

  • The Election of 1888

    • The economy was prosperous and the nation was at peace, but Cleveland lost reelection in the Electoral College, even though he won a plurality of the popular vote by a narrow margin.

  • The 1992 Election

    • In the election, Clinton won a plurality in the popular vote and a wide Electoral College margin.
    • In the entire country, only Washington, D.C. and Clinton's home state of Arkansas gave the majority of its votes to a single candidate; the rest were won by pluralities of the vote.

  • Partisan Politics

    • Instead, they offered prosperity and pluralism under William McKinley.

  • The Clinton Administration Moves Right

    • The Senate shifted to control by the Democrats (though they technically were the plurality party as they were one short of a majority) after GOP senator Jim Jeffords changed party registration to "Independent" in June 2001, but later returned to Republican control after the November 2002 elections.

  • The Election of 1968

    • Nixon won the popular vote with a plurality of 512,000 votes, or a victory margin of about one percentage point.

  • Republican Reform Under Harrison

    • The economy was prosperous and the nation was at peace, but Cleveland lost reelection in the Electoral College, even though he won a plurality of the popular vote by a narrow margin.

  • The Election of 1824

    • Adams's victory shocked Jackson who, as the winner of a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes, expected to be elected president.

  • The Mormons

    • Between 1852 and 1890, many Mormons openly practiced plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy.

  • 1968: The Year of Upheaval

    • Nixon won the popular vote with a plurality of 512,000 votes, or a victory margin of about one percentage point.