Question

12 percent of the voters in an election did not cast their votes. In this election, there are only two candidates. The winner, by obtaining 45% of the total votes, has defeated his rival by 2000 votes. What is the total number of votes in the election?

a. 10,000
b. 20,000
c. 25,000
d. 50,000

Answer 1

To find the total number of votes in the election, we can set up an equation using the given information. Solving the equation, we find that the total number of votes is 20,000.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the total number of votes in the election, we need to determine the number of voters who cast their votes. We know that 12 percent of the voters did not cast their votes. This means that 88 percent of the voters did cast their votes. We also know that the winner obtained 45% of the total votes and won by 2000 votes.

Let's assume that the total number of votes is x. 88% of x represents the number of voters who cast their votes, so 0.88x votes were cast in total. The winner obtained 45% of the total votes, which is 0.45x votes.

Since the winner won by 2000 votes, we can set up the equation 0.45x - (0.55x) = 2000. Solving this equation, we find that 0.1x = 2000, which implies x = 20000.

Therefore, the total number of votes in the election is 20,000. So, the correct answer is option b. 20,000.