cumulative voting

American  

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.

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cumulative voting British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of cumulative voting

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 • Aug. 27, 2025

And cumulative voting already exists at the county level.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2025

She insisted that her positions had been taken out of context, and she noted that cumulative voting was already used in communities around the country.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2022

This week’s election is the first in which cumulative voting has been used in New York State since at least the beginning of the 20th century, according to Fair Vote, a voting-rights advocacy group.

From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2010

They should be elected, consequently, from comparatively large districts, or, if possible, by the electorate of the whole state under some system of cumulative voting.

From The Promise of American Life by Croly, Herbert David