Which of the following are examples of a plurality? Select all that apply.

370 of 435 members of Congress support a bill.

51 of 100 senators support a judicial nominee.

9 of 9 Supreme Court justices support a decision.

1,550 of the Democrat Party's 4,765 delegates prefer a candidate.

205 of 538 members of the Electoral College vote for a president.

2,472 of 2,472 Republican delegates support an incumbent candidate.

1 answer

A plurality occurs when an option receives more votes than any other option, but not necessarily a majority (which would require more than half). Given this definition, let's analyze each scenario:

  1. 370 of 435 members of Congress support a bill.

    • This is a majority (over half), not just a plurality.
  2. 51 of 100 senators support a judicial nominee.

    • This is a majority (over half), not just a plurality.
  3. 9 of 9 Supreme Court justices support a decision.

    • This is unanimous support, not just a plurality.
  4. 1,550 of the Democrat Party's 4,765 delegates prefer a candidate.

    • This is not a majority; thus, it can be considered a plurality since it is more than any other single candidate group, but without additional context on other candidates, it's ambiguous.
  5. 205 of 538 members of the Electoral College vote for a president.

    • This is not a majority and would be considered a plurality if there were multiple candidates competing for votes.
  6. 2,472 of 2,472 Republican delegates support an incumbent candidate.

    • This is unanimous support, not just a plurality.

Given the analysis, the examples of a plurality could be:

  • 1,550 of the Democrat Party's 4,765 delegates prefer a candidate.
  • 205 of 538 members of the Electoral College vote for a president.

So, the correct answers are those two options.