Amajority is more than half of a total.[1] It is asubset of aset consisting of more than half of the set's elements. For example, if a group consists of 31 individuals, a majority would be 16 or more individuals, while having 15 or fewer individuals would not constitute a majority.
A majority is different from, but often confused with, aplurality,[note 1] which is a subset larger than any other subset but not necessarily more than half the set. For example, if there is a group with 20 members which is divided into subgroups with 9, 6, and 5 members, then the 9-member group would be the plurality, but would not be a majority (as they have less than eleven members).
Inparliamentary procedure, a majority always means precisely "more than half". Other common definitions (e.g. the frequent 50%+1) may be misleading(see "Common errors" below).[1]: 4
Depending on theparliamentary authority used, there may be a difference in the total that is used to calculate a majority vote due tospoiled votes.[2] Comparing the two most popular authorities in the United States: InRobert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (abbreviated RONR), spoiled votes are counted as votes cast, but are not credited to any candidate.[2] InThe Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (abbreviatedTSC), spoiled votes are not included in the total and a majority vote is defined as being more than half of alleligible votes cast.[3]
As it relates to a vote, a majority vote most often means asimple majority vote, which means more "yes" votes than "no" votes.[4][5]Abstentions or blanks are excluded in calculating a simple majority vote.[1]: 6 Also, the totals do not include votes cast by someone not entitled to vote or improper multiple votes by a single member.[2]
Other related terms containing the word "majority" have their own meanings, which may sometimes be inconsistent in usage.[6]
InBritish English, the term "size of a majority", "overall majority", or "working majority" is used to mean the difference between the number of votes gained by the winning party and the total votes gained by all the other parties.[7] This has led to some confusion and misuse of the terms "majority" or "relative majority" to mean what is correctly called themargin of victory, i.e. the number of votes separating the first-place finisher from the second-place finisher.[8]
A "double majority" is a voting system which requires a majority of votes according to two separate criteria.[6] e.g. in the European Union, the Council uses a double majority rule, requiring 55% of member states, representing at least 65% of the total EU population in favor. In some cases, the required percentage of member states in favor is increased to 72%.[9]
A "supermajority" is a specified threshold greater than one half.[6] A common use of a supermajority is a "two-thirds vote", which is sometimes referred to as a "two-thirds majority".
Thevoting basis refers to the set of members considered when calculating whether a proposal has a majority,[10] i.e. thedenominator used in calculating the percent support for a vote. Common voting bases include:
For example, assume that votes are cast for three people for an office: Alice, Bob, and Carol. In all three scenarios, Alice receives aplurality, or the most votes among the candidates,[19] but in some she does not receive a majority.
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Alice | 14 |
| Bob | 4 |
| Carol | 2 |
| Total | 20 |
In Scenario 1, Alice received a majority of the vote. There were 20 votes cast and Alice received more than half of them.
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Alice | 10 |
| Bob | 6 |
| Carol | 4 |
| Total | 20 |
In Scenario 2, assume all three candidates are eligible. In this case, no one received a majority of the vote.
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Alice | 10 |
| Bob | 6 |
| Carol (ineligible) | 4 |
| Total | 20 |
In Scenario 3, assume that Alice and Bob are eligible candidates, but Carol is not. UsingRobert's Rules of Order, no one received a majority vote, which is the same as Scenario 2. In this case, the 4 votes for Carol are counted in the total, but are not credited to Carol (which precludes the possibility of an ineligible candidate being credited with receiving a majority vote). However, usingThe Standard Code, Alice received a majority vote since only votes for eligible candidates are counted. In this case, there are 16 votes for eligible candidates and Alice received more than half of those 16 votes.
A temporary majority exists when the positions of the members present and voting in a meeting of a deliberative assembly on a subject are not representative of the membership as a whole. Parliamentary procedure contains some provisions designed to protect against a temporary majority violating the rights of absentees. For instance,previous notice is typically required torescind, repeal or annul something previously adopted by a majority vote.[20] However, in this and many other cases, previous notice is not required if a majority of the entire membership votes in favor, because that indicates that it is clearly not a temporary majority. Another protection against a decision being made by a temporary majority is the motion toreconsider and enter on the minutes, by which two members can suspend action on a measure until it is called up at a meeting on another day.[21]
The expression "at least 50% +1" may mislead when "majority" is actually intended, where the total number referred to is odd.[1]: 4 For example, say a board has 7 members. "Majority" means "at least 4" in this case (more than half of 7, which is 3.5). But 50% + 1 is 4.5, and since a number of people can only be a positive integer, "at least 50% + 1" could be interpreted as meaning "at least 5".
The wordmajority means "more than half"; and when the termmajority vote is used without qualification—as in the case of the basic requirement—it means more than half of the votes cast by persons entitled to vote, excluding blanks or abstentions, at a regular or properly called meeting.
