Rule by the Non-Majority?
We have assembled a great deal of information about the frequency and impact of American primary and general elections won with less than 50% of the vote. The great majority of American states have had governors who have won elections with less than 50% of the vote since 1990. In the presidential elections since 1988, every state except Arkansas, at least once, awarded all of their electoral votes to a candidate who was opposed by most voters in that state. A significant number of congressional seats were won by mere pluralities. Read the overview to our report.Presidential Elections
- Presidential Elections and Plurality Wins in Selected Years; 1912-2004
- 2000 Presidential Race : Gore and Nader
- 1992 Presidential Race : Perot's Contribution to Clinton
- 1980 Presidential Race: John Anderson's Role
- 1968 Presidential Race: The Impact of George Wallace
- U.S. Governors, 1990-2004 - A comprehensive list of gubernatorial candidates who won primary and/or general elections by plurality
- US Governors, 1948-2004 - Three groupings of governors elected in general elections with less than 50%
- Recent Governors - 22 currently serving and recent governors who won either a primary or general election with less than 50% of votes
Related Links:
- Washington Post columnist Richard Morin's October 2000 column on Fairvote's analysis of plurality victory victories.
- Fairvote's 1995 report, The End of Majority Rule?
- Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) home page.
