Vote share
The proportion of the vote a party won in a contest.
How it's calculated
Party votes ÷ total valid votes. In wards electing several councillors we use each party's highest-polling candidate, and the total is the sum of every party's highest candidate (the Elections Centre convention).
Worked example
May 2023 (3 seats): Labour's best candidate had 2,149 votes. The best candidates of all four parties add up to 3,344.
Labour share = 2,149 ÷ 3,344 = 64.3%.
Source: Heworth ward, City of York — by-election of 15 January 2026 and May 2023.
Caveats
- Shares in multi-member wards are not comparable with a simple sum of every candidate's votes.
- Uncontested seats have no share and are left out.
Where it's used
Other definitions
Change in shareSwing (two-party, Butler)MajoritySwing needed to gainUncontested seatCandidates per seat / per wardContestation rateWinner's shareEffective number of partiesWinner's bonus (seats vs votes)Incumbency and re-election rateWomen candidates and councillorsTurnout (three methods)Council control and No Overall Control (NOC)Majority at riskPsephology National Share EstimateBy-election vote trackerNotional resultIndex of changeSplit-ticket indicatorNational Equivalent Vote