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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of cumulative voting

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year and Brewer filed an appeal hours after the ruling to renew his push for a switch to cumulative voting.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

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

The election of Mr. Marino, one of two Latino candidates on the ballot, could lead to the wider use of cumulative voting as a remedy in voting rights lawsuits, said FairVote’s executive director, Rob Richie.

From New York Times • Jun. 16, 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