Simple majority - SS1 Government Lesson Note

The simple majority is a voting method in which the candidate who receives the most votes win. In other words, the candidate who has more votes than any other candidate wins the election, regardless of whether they have a majority or not.

For example, in a hypothetical election with three candidates, if Candidate A receives 40% of the votes, Candidate B receives 35% of the votes, and Candidate C receives 25% of the votes, Candidate A would be declared the winner, even though they did not receive a majority of the votes (which would be 50%+1 in a three-candidate race).

This system is also sometimes referred to as "first-past-the-post" or "winner-takes-all." It is commonly used in elections for legislative bodies, such as the U.S. Congress or the British Parliament, as well as in many local elections around the world.