selectorate

/ sɪˈlɛktərɪt /

noun

1. a body of people responsible for making a selection, esp members of a political party who select candidates for an election

Word History and Origins

Origin of selectorate¹

C20: from _select + ( _elect ) _orate

Example Sentences

Democracies “tend to be better at delivering longer lives for their citizens and better economic outcomes,” but “selectorate” countries—Shafik cites China as an example—“can also deliver effective outcomes for their citizens.”

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Because this was not a general election, most of Britain was sitting on the sidelines while a “selectorate” of 172,437 dues-paying Conservative Party members — less than 0.3 percent of the population — determined the country’s political future.

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Mr. Johnson’s departure from Downing Street after a series of scandals has left the ultimate decision on his successor in the hands of around 160,000 Conservative Party members, a small “selectorate” that, by definition, is more right-wing than the general population but also whiter, older and more male.

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"In short, what political scientists call 'the selectorate' looks pretty different to the electorate."

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In their 2005 academic study The Logic of Political Survival and its 2011 mass-market adaptation The Dictator’s Handbook, they propose a model for why some leaders are overthrown and other survive, known as selectorate theory.

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