Definition of Absolute majority

An absolute majority (or in American English a supermajoritarian voting requirement) is a voting system which requires more than half of all the members of a group (including those absent and those present but not voting) must vote in favour of a proposition in order for it to be passed. In practical terms it means abstaining from a vote, by whatever means is equivalent to a no vote. An absolute majority can be compared a simple majority which only requires a majority of those actually voting to approve a proposition for it to succeed.