Noun

Singular electoral district

Plural electoral districts

electoral district (plural electoral districts)

1. (politics) A district represented by one or more elected officials.

   When comparing voting systems it is important to know how many representatives are elected from each electoral district.

Synonyms

• constituency
• district
• electorate (Australia)
• riding (Canada)
• ward

An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body. Not all political systems use separate districts to conduct elections; Israel and The Netherlands, for instance, conduct parliamentary elections as a single, nationwide entity. In contrast, the United Kingdom, France and many other nations elect each member of the legislature from their own individual district.

Generally, only voters who reside within the geographical bounds of an electoral district are permitted to vote in an election held there.

The names for electoral districts vary across countries and, occasionally, for the office being elected. The term constituency is commonly used to refer to an electoral district, however constituency can also refer to the people within the represented area. In Australia and New Zealand, electoral districts are called electorates, however elsewhere the term electorate generally refers specifically to the body of eligible voters. In Canada, districts are colloquially called ridings (stemming from an earlier British geographical subdivision). Local electoral districts are sometimes called wards, a term which also designates administrative subsidivisions of a municipality.