section_path: Majority vote/Related terms
section_name: Related terms
paragraph_text: Related terms
  
  Other related terms containing the word "majority" have their own meanings, which may sometimes be inconsistent in usage.
  
  In British English, the term "majority" is used to mean the difference in votes between the first-place candidate in an election and the second-place candidate. The word "majority", and the phrases "size of a majority", "overall majority", or "working majority", are also used to mean the difference between the number of votes gained by the winning party or candidate and the total votes gained by all other parties or candidates. In American English, "majority" does not have this meaning; the phrase margin of victory, i.e. the number of votes separating the first-place finisher from the second-place finisher, is typically used.
  
  A " double majority " is a voting system which requires a majority of votes according to two separate criteria. e.g. in the European Union, the Council uses a double majority rule, requiring 55% of member states, representing at least 65% of the total EU population in favor. In some cases, the required percentage of member states in favor is increased to 72%.
  
  A " supermajority " is a specified threshold greater than one half. A common use of a supermajority is a " two-thirds vote ", which is sometimes referred to as a "two-thirds majority".
  
  A " plurality " or "relative majority" is achieved when a candidate or other option polls more votes than any other but does not receive more than half of all votes cast. For example, if there is a group with 20 members which is divided into subgroups with 9, 6, and 5 members, then the 9-member group would be the plurality, but would not be a majority (as they have less than eleven members).