What is the key characteristic of a plurality vote?

A plurality vote is defined as a voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins, regardless of whether they achieve an absolute majority, which is more than 50% of the total votes. This means that as long as a candidate secures more votes than any other contender, they are declared the winner, even if that number constitutes less than half of the total votes cast.

In contrast, an absolute majority requires a candidate to secure more than half the votes, which is not the case in plurality systems. The requirement for all candidates to receive at least one vote is not a characteristic of plurality voting; candidates can win without this condition being met. Additionally, plurality voting does not necessarily involve a second round of voting, which is more common in systems that do not declare a winner in an initial round when no candidate achieves a majority. Thus, the key characteristic of plurality voting is the simplicity of declaring the candidate with the most votes as the victor, making it straightforward and efficient for determining outcomes in elections.