Ward (electoral subdivision)

A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area. It is common in the United States for wards to simply be numbered.

In Australia, Canada, Monaco, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and they are an electoral district within a district or municipality, used in local government elections. In the United States, wards are usually subdivided into precincts for polling purposes.

In the Republic of Ireland, urban Wards and rural District Electoral Divisions were renamed Electoral Divisions in 1994. The electoral districts for local authorities are often popularly called "wards". These consist of multiple electoral divisions, and are officially called "local electoral areas".

In the case of a municipal amalgamation, the former cities and towns that make up the new metropolis may be referred to as wards.

Ward (South Africa)

In South Africa, wards are geopolitical subdivisions of municipalities used for electoral purposes. Each metropolitan and local municipality is delimited by the Municipal Demarcation Board into half as many wards as there are seats on the municipal council (rounding up if there are an odd number of seats). Each ward then elects one councillor directly, and the remaining councillors are elected from party lists so that the overall party balance is proportional to the proportion of votes received by each party.

After the 2011 local elections, there are 4,277 wards in South Africa.

References

External links