electorate

noun elec·tor·ate \ i-ˈlek-t(ə-)rət \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of electorate

1 : the territory, jurisdiction, or dignity of a German elector

2 : a body of people entitled to vote

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Recent Examples of electorate from the Web

Baltimore County has a big Democratic primary electorate, just behind Montgomery and Prince George’s.

— michael dresser, baltimoresun.com, "Martin O'Malley endorses Rushern Baker in Democratic race for Maryland governor," 7 June 2018
Approved by voters in 2010, the top-two primary was envisioned as a way to elect candidates who better reflected California’s electorate, rather than the far-left and far-right nominees emerging from hyper-partisan party primaries.

— jaclyn cosgrove, latimes.com, "It's Newsom vs. Cox in November as Villaraigosa tumbles in governor's race," 6 June 2018
There is more opposition to the president than support in the electorate, as people think ahead to voting, though much of that comes along partisan lines.

— CBS News, "Six months before midterms, both parties face challenges - CBS News poll," 8 May 2018
As of April, the party had 611,831 voters or 36.6 percent of the electorate, as compared to Republican’s 491,783 or 29.4 percent — growing its lead over GOP registration from 27,742 voters in January 2016 to more than 120,000 today.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Trump effect remains uncertain in San Diego as June election approaches," 6 May 2018
But doing that and still winning by only 6 percentage points suggested that the rest of the electorate, including independents, broke solidly for Democrats.

— Washington Post, "GOP victory in Arizona still sending off alarm bells," 26 Apr. 2018
Despite his low popularity among the general electorate, Trump's standing remains relatively strong among likely Republican primary voters here.

— john wagner, Anchorage Daily News, "Curtain rises in New Hampshire with president’s appearance," 19 Mar. 2018
Despite his low popularity among the general electorate, Trump's standing remains relatively strong among likely Republican primary voters here.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Curtain rises in New Hampshire with president's appearance," 19 Mar. 2018
The Sarkozys' flashy jet-set lifestyle and love of all things luxury turned off the French electorate, who prize discretion above most everything else.

— dana thomas, Town & Country, "Who Will Be Melania Trump's Role Model as First Lady?," 22 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'electorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.