Final answer:
In an election where there are six seats available and a voter can distribute up to six votes, the voting system in question is cumulative voting. This type of voting allows for multiple winners and aims for proportional representation, different from preferential or instant runoff voting, which focus on obtaining a majority.
Step-by-step explanation:
If there are six seats up for election and a voter is allowed to cast up to six votes, this is an example of cumulative voting. Cumulative voting is a multiple-winner voting system intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections. Unlike preferential voting or instant runoff voting, in cumulative voting, voters can distribute their votes among the candidates in any combination, including giving all their votes to a single candidate.
At-large voting refers to a situation where representatives are elected to serve an entire area rather than a subdivided one, as with districts. With at-large voting, multi-member constituencies are typical, and voters often have as many votes as there are seats.
In contrast to majoritarian voting schemes like instant runoff voting, where the focus is on obtaining a majority through ranked choices, cumulative and at-large voting generally allow for more proportional outcomes by empowering voters to support multiple candidates to varying degrees.