cumulative voting

noun

1. a system that gives each voter as many votes as there are persons to be elected from one representative district, allowing the voter to accumulate them on one candidate or to distribute them.

cumulative voting

noun

1. a system of voting in which each elector has as many votes as there are candidates in his constituency. Votes may all be cast for one candidate or distributed among several

Word History and Origins

Origin of cumulative voting¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Fortunately, there’s a readily available solution to address this: Congress could also enact what’s known as cumulative voting.

From Slate

Cumulative voting could also help protect minority communities.

From Slate

These communities, like partisan communities, can use cumulative voting to concentrate their support on such candidates.

From Slate

And although it may sound grandiose, Congress can enact just such a multimember-district, cumulative voting model: The Constitution grants that the body “may at any time” enact voting regulations, something it has done occasionally, most prominently with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

From Slate

And cumulative voting already exists at the county level.

From Slate