Winner-take-all system
Sign in to saveAlso known as majoritarian system, majoritarian electoral system, winner-takes-all electoral system, winner-take-all electoral system, majoritarian representation
electoral system where the winner takes all seats in a legislature or electoral district, denying representation to any political minorities
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Encyclopedic overview
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A winner-take-all or (winner-takes-all) system is a type of voting system where representation in a governing body or electoral district is only awarded to the candidate or party that receives the most votes. Although such systems are sometimes called "majoritarian representation" or "majorizing" systems, winners do not always have the support of an absolute majority, as it is possible for a plurality (most votes, but less than an absolute majority) to select winners. Winner-take-all systems are contrasted with proportional representation systems, wherein control of the body or district is divided proportionally to the number of votes.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Winner-take-all system” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.