# Term for a slim-majority win? Plural\_\_\_?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 8, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205 "2003-10-08T03:02:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205/1 "2003-10-08T03:02:16Z")

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What’s the political term for an election winner who wins by a narrow margin, such as 34%, 33%, and 33%? I am drawing a blank, but all I can think of is pluracy? (That’s a lung condition.) The significance is just that it reflects how the winning indivdual is still not a candidate of the people.

Ah! This brain fart is killing me!

- Jinx

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**Author:** ![DuhCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@DuhCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DuhCow)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205/2 "2003-10-08T03:12:09Z")

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plurality

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**Author:** ![El\_Cheapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8e7dd6/32.png) [@El\_Cheapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cheapo)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205/3 "2003-10-08T03:12:21Z")

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ity

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**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-slim-majority-win-plural___/206205/4 "2003-10-08T04:00:39Z")

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You may be thinking of the word plurality, but “an election winner who wins by a narrow margin” is not the correct definition.

A plurality is the largest vote getter among a number of candidates, no one of whom has achieved a majority (i.e. over 50%).

A 51/49 election would be a narrow margin but not a plurality.

Conversely, in a race in which one person got 49% and 50 others got 1% each, we’d have a plurality (Mr. 49%) but not a narrow margin.