Editing Plurality voting (section)

=== Examples ===

==== Single-winner ====
This is a general example for single-winner plurality voting ("first-past-the-post"), using population percentages taken from one [[U.S. state|state]] for illustrative purposes.
{{Tenn voting example}}

If each voter in each city naively selects one city on the ballot (Memphis voters select Memphis, Nashville voters select Nashville, and so on), Memphis will be selected, as it has the most votes 42%. The system does not require that the winner have a [[majority]], only a plurality. Memphis wins because it has the most votes even though 58% of the voters in the example preferred Memphis least. The opposite result would occur in [[Instant-runoff voting|instant-runoff]], where Knoxville (the city furthest to the east, and the "second-worst" choice) would accumulate a majority from vote transfers from voter who initially voted for Chattanooga and Nashville. Nashville is the [[majority-preferred winner]], and as a result would be elected by any [[Condorcet method]].

==== Multi-winner ====
Candidates are running in a 3-member district of 10 000 voters.

Under non-transferable (and non-cumulative) plurality voting, each voter may cast no more than one vote for a single candidate, even if they have multiple votes to cast.

* Under [[Plurality block voting|block voting]], the standard multiple-winner non-transferable vote election method, voters may cast 3 votes (but do not have to)
* Under [[limited voting]], voters may cast 2 votes maximum
* Under the single non-transferable vote, voters may cast 1 vote

Party A has about 35% support among the electorate (with one particularly well-liked candidate), Party B around 25% (with two well-liked candidates) and the remaining voters primarily support independent candidates, but mostly lean towards party B if they have to choose between the two parties. All voters [[Sincere voting|vote sincerely]]; there is no tactical voting. (Percentage of votes under MNTV and Limited Voting is the percentage of voters who voted for the candidate, not the percentage of votes cast.)
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="3" |Candidate
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |Party
! colspan="8" |Multiple non-transferable vote
! colspan="4" rowspan="2" |Single non-transferable vote
|-
! colspan="4" |Plurality block voting
! colspan="4" |Limited voting
|-
!Votes
!%
! colspan="2" |Elected?
!Votes
!%
! colspan="2" |Elected?
!Votes
!%
! colspan="2" |Elected?
|-
|Candidate A1
| style="background:#D10000" |
|Party A
|'''3700'''
|'''37%'''
|'''1.'''
|'''Yes'''
|'''3500'''
|'''35%'''
|'''1.'''
|'''Yes'''
|'''2000'''
|'''20%'''
|'''1.'''
|'''Yes'''
|-
|Candidate A2
| style="background:#D10000" |
|Party A
|'''3600'''
|'''36%'''
|'''2.'''
|'''Yes'''
|'''1900'''
|'''19%'''
|'''2.'''
|'''Yes'''
|800
|8%
|4.
|
|-
|Candidate A3
| style="background:#D10000" |
|Party A
|'''3555'''
|'''36%'''
|'''3.'''
|'''Yes'''
|1800
|18%
|4.
|
|700
|7%
|7.
|
|-
|Candidate B1
| style="background:#0008A5" |
|Party B
|2600
|26%
|4.
|
|'''1950'''
|'''20%'''
|'''3.'''
|'''Yes'''
|'''1100'''
|'''11%'''
|'''2.'''
|'''Yes'''
|-
|Candidate B2
| style="background:#0008A5" |
|Party B
|2500
|25%
|5.
|
|1750
|18%
|4.
|
|'''900'''
|'''9%'''
|'''3.'''
|'''Yes'''
|-
|Candidate B3
| style="background:#0008A5" |
|Party B
|2400
|24%
|6.
|
|1425
|14%
|7.
|
|400
|4%
|12.
|
|-
|Candidate I1
|
|Independent
|2300
|23%
|8.
|
|1400
|14%
|8.
|
|800
|8%
|4.
|
|-
|Candidate I2
|
|Independent
|2395
|24%
|7.
|
|1500
|15%
|6.
|
|800
|8%
|4.
|
|-
|Candidate I3
|
|Independent
|1900
|19%
|9.
|
|1300
|13%
|9.
|
|700
|7%
|7.
|
|-
|Candidate I4
|
|Independent
|1800
|15%
|10
|
|1200
|12%
|10.
|
|700
|7%
|7.
|
|-
|Candidate I5
|
|Independent
|650
|7%
|11.
|
|625
|6%
|11.
|
|600
|6%
|10.
|
|-
|Candidate I6
|
|Independent
|600
|6%
|12.
|
|550
|6%
|12.
|
|500
|5%
|11.
|
|-
| colspan="3" |''TOTAL votes cast''
|28000
|
|
|
|19000
|
|
|
|10000
|
|
|
|-
| colspan="3" |TOTAL possible votes
|30000
|
|
|
|20000
|
|
|
|10000
|
|
|
|-
| colspan="3" |Voters
|10000
|100%
|
|
|10000
|100%
|
|
|10000
|100%
|
|
|}
Under all three versions of multi-winner plurality voting, the three most popular candidates according to voters' first preferences are elected, regardless of party affiliation, but with three different results.

* Under block voting ([[Plurality block voting]]), the three candidates of the most popular party are elected if its supporters vote along party lines. In this case a party with only 35 percent support took all the seats.
* Under limited voting, it is most likely that the party with a plurality takes two seats (or the same number of seats as the number of votes each voter has), and another less-popular party receives the remaining seat(s).
* Under the single non-transferable vote (like in the other two methods) the number of seats are sometimes not proportionately allocated. Over-optimism (running too many candidates) and vote splitting is harshly punished. But each popular party that runs one candidate is assured of success to that degree anyway. In this case, even though the most-popular party ran three and risked vote splitting, it did elect one member.
* In a situation where three are to be elected and [[Single transferable vote|single transferable voting]] is used, ranked votes are used and each voter has just one vote, any candidate that accumulates about 25 percent of the vote will be elected and supporters of one party even if initially spread over two or three candidates can concentrate behind only one or two, just the candidates of the party that are electable. The plurality rule applies in that the most-popular candidates of the party are the ones that are elected.