pluralitystelsels

Pluralitystelsels, often translated as plurality systems, are electoral systems in which seats are allocated to those who receive the largest number of votes in an electoral district, without requiring an absolute majority. In practice, most commonly this is implemented through single-member districts where the candidate with the most votes wins the seat (often called first-past-the-post). Some configurations use multi-member districts, but still rely on a plurality vote to determine winners in each seat.

In single-member plurality systems, the overall representation can be highly disproportional: a party can win a majority of seats with only a minority of the national vote, or lose significant support while retaining few seats. The results often produce two-party systems and stable governments, but can marginalize smaller parties and lead to strategic voting and wasted votes. Geographic concentration of support can influence outcomes, and district boundaries (gerrymandering) can affect competitiveness.

Advantages cited include simplicity, speed of counting, clear accountability, and tendency toward stable majority governments. Critics argue that plurality systems underrepresent voters whose preferred candidates are not concentrated in specific districts and that they may distort the link between votes and seats. Critics often advocate for proportional representation or alternative systems such as instant-runoff voting or mixed systems.

Use of pluralitystelsels is most common in Anglophone countries and other regions with colonial legacies, including the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean. The term is also used in comparative political science to discuss how different electoral design choices affect party systems and governance.