Single-Member District

Definition

A single-member district is an electoral system in which each geographic district elects only one representative to a legislative body.

Analogy

Imagine a school where each classroom gets to choose only one student to represent them in the student council. Each classroom is like a single-member district, and the student elected represents their entire class.

Related terms

Plurality System: A plurality system is an electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins, regardless of whether they have obtained an absolute majority.

Majority System: A majority system is an electoral system in which a candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes to win. If no candidate achieves this in the first round, a runoff election may be held between the top two candidates.

Proportional Representation: Proportional representation is an electoral system that aims to allocate seats in proportion to the number of votes received by each political party or group.