Plurality vs majority: what is the difference and how does Simply Voting support both?
Whether you are voting to elect your new president, treasurer or a board member, it is important to understand the different counting methods to elect your winner. Two of the most common methods are plurality and majority.
What is a plurality vote?
With a plurality vote, the candidate with the most votes win. For example, for this election with 3 candidates:
- Candidate A: 45 Votes
- Candidate B: 35 Votes
- Candidate C: 20 Votes
Candidate A wins because the candidate received more individual votes than the other candidates, even if a total of 55 votes went to the other candidates.
What is a majority vote?
With a majority vote, the winning candidate must receive more than 50% of all votes cast. For example, if 100 votes were cast, the winner must receive at least 51 votes.
Using the same example with 3 candidates:
- Candidate A: 40 Votes
- Candidate B: 35 Votes
- Candidate C: 25 Votes
Since no candidate received a majority of the votes, this election has no winner yet. Depending on your election rules, a runoff election between Candidate A and Candidate B will determine the final winner.
How it works with Simply Voting
Our online voting system is built for flexibility. We don’t impose a single method of determining the winner. You’ll receive a clear, transparent count along with the percentage of votes each candidate receives. From there, you're free to apply the voting method that best suits your needs.
- If you choose the plurality method, the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.
- If you prefer a majority method, you’ll need to verify whether any candidate received more than 50% of the total votes.
Choosing between plurality and majority voting depends on your organization’s rules. Our online voting platform provides transparent results, giving you the information you need to declare a winner using the method that best fits your requirements.
