Re: Results of Poll by Email No. 18
| From: | Andrew Chaney <adchaney@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, July 15, 2002, 1:22 |
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on 14/7/02 15:42, Thomas R. Wier (trwier@UCHICAGO.EDU) wrote:
>> Generally speaking, it's my understanding that the word majority
>> refers by default to an absolute majority only, so if the NAmericans
>> have only a relative majority, they don't have a majority at all, [snip]
>
> Correct. In American political usage at least, Presidents must win
> a majority of the Electoral College, but they need only win a plurality
> of the popular vote. This political usage usually carries over into
> other usages as well.
They don't have to win anything in the popular vote. The president is
elected by the electors, not the populace.
Myself, I've always used "majority" to mean "more than anyone/thing else" by
default.
andy.
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