Vote Percentage Calculator

Vote percentage is calculated by dividing a candidate's votes by the total votes cast, then multiplying by 100. Formula: (Candidate Votes / Total Votes) x 100. For example, if a candidate received 15,000 votes out of 50,000 total votes: (15,000 / 50,000) x 100 = 30%.

Margin of victory is the difference between the winner's vote percentage and the runner-up's percentage. It can also be expressed as raw votes. A margin of 5 percentage points means the winner received 5% more of the total vote than the second-place candidate.

A majority means more than 50% of votes cast. A plurality (or relative majority) means having the most votes among all candidates, but not necessarily over 50%. In multi-candidate races, winners often win by plurality without achieving majority.

In ranked choice voting (RCV), voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Their votes transfer to voters' next choices. This continues until one candidate has a majority.

Runoff elections typically occur when no candidate meets a required vote threshold, usually 50%+1 (absolute majority). The top two candidates advance to a second round where voters choose between them, ensuring the winner has majority support.

In the U.S. electoral college, each state has electors equal to its Congressional representation. Most states use winner-take-all: the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all its electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 of 538 electoral votes to win.

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who actually voted. Formula: (Votes Cast / Eligible Voters) x 100. High turnout elections may see 60-80% participation, while low turnout might be below 40%.