preferential voting

Save This Word!

noun

a system of voting designed to permit the voter to indicate an order of preference for the candidates on the ballot.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of preferential voting

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby preferential voting

preference share, preference shares, preference stock, preferential, preferential shop, preferential voting, preferment, preferred gender pronoun, preferred lie, preferred ordinary shares, preferred position

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use preferential voting in a sentence

House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.
Kamikaze Congress Prepares to Strike Boehner|Ben Jacobs|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But this year, instead of simply voting against Boehner on Tuesday, at least two members of the group are vying to replace him.
The YOLO Caucus' New Cry for Attention|Ben Jacobs|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As she discussed her understanding of the voting rights campaign and how she planned to recreate it, I grew more relieved.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her focus would be on the three months, January through March 1965, that gave birth to the Voting Rights Act.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

She adds that some of the earliest voting booths were stationed inside drinking establishments.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neither privately owned nor government stock is entitled to voting power.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Nor can other creditors through filing objections to a claim prevent a bona fide claimant from voting.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
In due course the news came that the date of voting in the Senate for or against the retention of the Islands was fixed.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
A court of equity though may do this, and enjoin a pledgee from voting the stock whenever the pledgor's rights would be affected.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
More recently the cumulative system of voting has come into general favor.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for preferential voting

preferential voting

noun

a system of voting in which the electors signify their choices, as of candidates, in order of preference

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012