Talk:Constituency

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[edit] Places with constituencies

As of March 2, 2005 the list of places with constituencies is incomplete. --Theo (Talk) 10:08, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Move to electoral district?

Might I suggest this article be moved to electoral district? As the lead of the article indicates, there are more meanings of the term constituency (such as the people within a district, or a particular group of supporters), however the term electoral district is entirely unambiguous. Scott Ritchie 22:51, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Thoughts?

Oppose. Electoral district may be used in the US but it is not used worldwide. Constituency is. FearÉIREANN\(caint) 23:19, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Electoral district is not just used in the United States. It's a term used generically in the political science literature as well, and many foreign terms (eg the French) translate into it. Prominence of the term is not why I suggested the move, however: it's to avoid ambiguity. Where do you suggest we put articles for the other uses of constituency, such as the people of an electoral district, or the subgroup of a representative's "core" supporters? Scott Ritchie 00:02, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Why electoral district? Why not electoral area? Or electoral region? Laurel Bush 14:44, 19 December 2005 (UTC).

Because "district" is the term actually used in the US, Canada, and most of the political science literature. "Area" and "region" aren't. Scott Ritchie 21:12, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Oppose per the above. Constituency is unambigous; electoral blump isn't. ナイトスタリオン ✉ 15:29, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

How is it unambiguous? It seems like you're unaware of the other uses of the word constituency. It wouldn't surprise me if the usage of "constiuency" to describe "a group of constituents" hasn't crept into Commonwealth English like it has in American English, precisely because in Commonwealth English the word refers to electoral districts. This isn't the case across the pond: Dictionary.com, for instance, gives these definitions for constituency: [1]
    1. The body of voters or the residents of a district represented by an elected legislator or official.
    2. The district so represented.
    1. A group of supporters or patrons.
    2. A group served by an organization or institution; a clientele: The magazine changed its format to appeal to a broader constituency.
It seems like only the second definition refers to electoral districts. By the first, third, and fourth definitions listed constituency could refer to something else that's deserving of an article. Scott Ritchie 21:12, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Support, not least because there are now at least three kinds of electoral division in the UK: wards, constituencies and electoral regions (the latter used in conjunction with constituencies to produce a form of proportional representation). Laurel Bush 17:22, 11 July 2006 (UTC).

  • I must say that I object to Jtdirl's comment that "constituency" is used all the way round the world. "Electoral division" is the official term in Australia, and "electorate", "seat" and "electoral district" are definitely also used. "Constituency" is one I'm unfamiliar with, and the meanings I'd associate with it are the body of voters/group of supportors/clientele meanings above. So it can be seen that "Constituency is not a term used worldwide", and "electoral district" is much less ambiguous. Ergo, I'd vote support if it weren't for the fact that I'm much, much too late :) —Felix the Cassowary 12:14, 2 August 2006 (UTC)