Acclamation

Politics

An acclamation is a form of election not using a ballot. The most frequent type of acclamation is a voice vote, in which the voting group is asked who favors and who opposes the proposed candidate. In the event of a lack of opposition, the candidate is considered elected.

It is most commonly involved with papal elections, parliamentary decisions, and United States conventions nomination processes.

In Canada, a candidate for a parliamentary or legislative position is said to be elected by acclamation if he or she has no opponents for the seat, an eventuality that rarely occurs except for legislative elections in the northern territories.

Religion

In liturgical Christian Churches, the Acclamations are the opening sentences at the beginning of the Eucharist.

References

• John N. Wall. A Dictionary for Episcopalians. Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2000.