The way you vote at your local polling place may seem like the natural and only way to vote. But there are thousands of different ways to cast and count votes. Votes may be cast for candidates or for political parties. Votes may be indicated by check marks, crossing out names, writing in names, or ranking candidates in order of choice. Votes may be cast on paper in pencil, on a punch card machine or a modern touch screen. When it is time to count votes, thousands of workers may tabulate the results by hand over the course of days or weeks--or computers might calculate the result, almost instantly. Importantly, winners might be required to win a majority of the vote, or more votes than the other candidates (but not a majority); they might need to be the candidate most preferred by the electorate overall (taking into account voters' rankings), or alternatively, winners might be decided by reference to the proportion of the total vote they receive.

This page summarizes some of the most common electoral systems around the world and in the United States.

There are two main families of electoral systems in the world: proportional and winner-take-all. All single-winner systems are, by definition, winner-take-all. Multi-winner systems may be proportional or winner-take all.

Single-winner systems vs Multi-winner systems

Sometimes it makes sense to elect just one person. For example, a nation would only ever choose one president at a time. However, when electing a legislative body, there is a real decision to make between using single-winner and multi-winner districts. That choice has profound consequences.

The academic consensus is that multi-winner districts are associated with:

• Larger and more populous districts;
• Districts contested by multiple parties and candidates;
• Legislatures that more proportionately reflect voters' political preferences;
• Governing by a coalition of parties rather than one single majority party;
• The election of more women to the legislature.

 On the other hand, single-winner districts are associated with:

• Smaller districts, with a closer link between elected representative and constituents;
• Uncontested districts and two-party systems (see Duverger 1972);
• A lack of proportionality between votes cast across the country for a party and seats won by that party;
• Governing by single-party majorities;
• The election of fewer women to the legislature.

Common single-winner systems include:

Plurality: A system in which the candidate with the most votes wins without necessarily a majority of votes. It is the most common system used in nation-states descended from the British and French Empires, including the United States and Canada.

Two Round System: A system identical to the plurality system except that if no winner attains the majority of votes in the initial election a second "runoff" round of voting takes place between the two candidates who received the most votes in the initial round.

Single-winner Ranked Choice Voting: A system that allows voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference: one, two, three, and so forth. If their vote cannot help their top choice win, their vote counts for their next choice.

In races where voters select one winner, if a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any other election. However, if there is no majority winner after counting first choices, the race is decided by an "instant runoff." The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as ‘number 1’ will have their votes count for their next choice. This process continues until there’s a majority winner or a candidate won with more than half of the vote.

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