single-member district
noun
sin·gle-mem·ber district
ˈsiŋ-gəl-ˈmem-bər- 
variants
or less commonly single-member constituency
: an electoral district or constituency having a single representative in a legislative body rather than two or more
In its first case declaring multimember districts unconstitutional in 1973, the Supreme Court declared that the Texas system of electing state representatives from county multimember districts, rather than single-member districts, discriminated against African-Americans and Latinos.—
Al Kauffman
compare multimember district
Al KauffmanExamples of single-member district in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two candidates are vying to represent District 2, a single-member district that encompasses Southeast Austin, and six people are jockeying for the District 8 seat, an at-large seat that represents the entire district.
—Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
In 2002, Baltimore had switched from six three-member council districts to 14 single-member districts.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The race for mayor is city-wide, and this is the first election in which individual commissioners are running in single-member districts, rather than in city-wide elections.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2024
Gerrymandering is not prescribed by the Constitution, nor are single-member districts.
—Jan-Werner Müller, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2022
With smaller, single-member districts, many rank-and-file lawmakers came to depend on leadership from party heads in the House and Senate for money and assistance in exchange for their loyalty.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2024
Another is to introduce a single-member district system, hence reducing party bosses’ powers over the selection of candidates as part of the harmonization of laws and legislation preparing the ground for the introduction of the executive presidency system in 2019.
—Galip Dalay, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2017
Hofer, who previously taught political science at the University of Houston, was one of three researchers who released a white paper in 2018 looking at the trade-offs between at-large voting systems and single-member districts.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Most districts across the country that have been ordered to change their school board election systems have adopted a single-member district model, in which voters elect candidates to represent their geographic areas, Levitt said.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
In 2002, Baltimore had switched from six three-member council districts to 14 single-member districts.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The race for mayor is city-wide, and this is the first election in which individual commissioners are running in single-member districts, rather than in city-wide elections.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2024
Gerrymandering is not prescribed by the Constitution, nor are single-member districts.
—Jan-Werner Müller, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2022
With smaller, single-member districts, many rank-and-file lawmakers came to depend on leadership from party heads in the House and Senate for money and assistance in exchange for their loyalty.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2024
Another is to introduce a single-member district system, hence reducing party bosses’ powers over the selection of candidates as part of the harmonization of laws and legislation preparing the ground for the introduction of the executive presidency system in 2019.
—Galip Dalay, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2017
Hofer, who previously taught political science at the University of Houston, was one of three researchers who released a white paper in 2018 looking at the trade-offs between at-large voting systems and single-member districts.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Most districts across the country that have been ordered to change their school board election systems have adopted a single-member district model, in which voters elect candidates to represent their geographic areas, Levitt said.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Single-member district.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-member%20district. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share