winnertakesall

Winner-takes-all (WTA) is an allocation principle in which the winner of a contest receives all of the prize or benefit at stake, with no portion allotted to the losers. In political elections, a WTA rule often means that the candidate who receives the most votes in a district, state, or territory secures the office or all seats allocated to that unit. In many jurisdictions with plurality voting, the winner takes the seat or the state's electoral votes even when the victory margin is small. In the United States, several states award all of their electoral votes to the statewide winner of the popular vote in presidential elections.

In electoral contexts, winner-takes-all contrasts with proportional representation, where seats are distributed roughly in proportion to each party’s share of the vote. Critics argue that WTA systems distort representation, marginalize smaller parties, and encourage strategic or “wasted” voting, potentially contributing to two-party systems.

In markets and technology, a winner-takes-all outcome occurs when one participant or platform captures a dominant share due to network effects, scale economies, switching costs, or standardization. Such dynamics can yield efficiency and user benefits through familiarity and interoperability, but may also reduce competition and innovation by erecting high barriers to entry for challengers.

Related concepts include first-past-the-post, single-member districts, and the electoral college in the United States, as well as proportional representation, ranked-choice voting, and analyses of market concentration in economics.