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by-election
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by-election

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Also known as byelection, byelections, special elections, by-elections, bypolls, special election, by election, by elections

A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.

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Encyclopedic overview

22 sections
Contents
  • Origins
  • In assemblies
  • In single-member constituencies
  • In multi-member constituencies
  • In mixed systems
  • In executive positions
  • Significance and consequences
  • Direct effects
  • Predictive value
  • Indirect impact
  • Upsets
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.

A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumbent’s death or resignation, or when the incumbent becomes ineligible to continue in office (because of a recall, a prohibited dual mandate, criminal conviction, or failure to maintain a minimum attendance), or when an election is invalidated by voting irregularities. In some cases a vacancy may be filled by a method other than a by-election (such as the outgoing member's party nominating a replacement) or the office may be left vacant. These elections can be held anytime in the country.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “by-election” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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