Psephology

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Elections
This series is part of the Politics series
Psephology Electoral systems Criticisms of electoralism Electoral fraud General election Local election By-election Fixed-term election Indirect election Secret ballot Suffrage Pluralism Elections by country Elections by date Referendum Redistricting Gerrymandering
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Psephology is a term for the statistical study of elections. Psephology uses compilations of precinct voting returns for elections going back some years, public opinion polls, campaign finance information and similar statistical data. The term was coined (from the Greek psephos, 'pebble', which the Greeks used as ballots) in the United Kingdom in 1952 by historian R. B. McCallum to describe the scientific analysis of past elections. This term can be found today in the most recent additions of Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2006 as well as William Safire's New Political Dictionary, Random House, New York 1993.

Psephology also has various applications specifically in analysing the results of election returns for current indicators, as opposed to predictive purposes. For instance, the Gallagher Index measures the disproportionality of an election.

See also

• List of democracy and elections-related topics

 

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