Subdivision of a local government unit, used for electoral purposes
A
ward
is a
local authority
area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after
neighbourhoods
,
thoroughfares
,
parishes
,
landmarks
, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area (e.g. William Morris Ward in the
London Borough of Waltham Forest
, England). It is common in the
United States
for wards to simply be numbered.
Origins
[
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]
The word "ward", for an electoral subdivision, appears to have originated in the
Wards of the City of London
, where gatherings for each ward known as "wardmotes" have taken place since the 12th century.
[1]
The word was much later applied to divisions of other cities and towns in
England and Wales
and
Ireland
.
In parts of northern
England
, a
ward
was an administrative subdivision of a
county
, very similar to a
hundred
in other parts of England.
Present day
[
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]
In
Australia
,
Canada
,
New Zealand
,
South Africa
,
Sri Lanka
, the
United Kingdom
, and the
United States
, wards are an
electoral district
, within a district or
municipality
, used in
local government
elections. In the United States, wards are usually subdivided into
precincts
for
polling
purposes. In Wisconsin, a 'ward' is what in most other states would be a
precinct
[2]
In some cities of
India
, such as
Mumbai
and
Delhi
, a
ward
is an administrative unit of the city region; a city area is divided into Zones, which in turn contain numerous wards. The smallest administrative unit of
Gram Panchayats
in India is also known as a ward.
[3]
[4]
In
Bangladesh
wards are subdivisions of a city or town which administrates under
City Corporations
and
municipalities
(
pourashova
)
In East Africa, the word ward used in English is translated into Swahili/Kiswahili as Kata.
In the case of a municipal
amalgamation
, the former cities and towns that make up the new metropolis may be referred to as wards.
In
Monaco
, wards are informal divisions of the country, grouped into quartiers.
Ireland
[
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]
In the
Republic of Ireland
, urban divisions were called
wards
and rural ones were called
district electoral divisions
. Both were renamed as
electoral divisions
in 1996.
[5]
The electoral districts for
Irish local authorities
are
local electoral areas
.
[6]
These are generally defined as combinations of electoral divisions, and in urban areas were formally described as combination of wards.
Similar concepts in other languages
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]
In
Japan
, a
ku
(or ? in
Japanese writing
) is an administrative unit of one of the larger cities, closely equivalent to the divisions or wards of a London Borough or a New York Borough.
In
Vietnam
, a
ph??ng
is an administrative subunit of an inner city district, or
qu?n
.
Wards and electoral divisions of Nepal
are political divisions which are grouped into
Gaunpalika
(
Rural council
) and
Municipality
. A rural municipality or municipality has minimum of five and maximum of 33 divisions.
See also
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
City of London: Statement as to the Origin, Position, Powers, Duties, and finance of the Corporation of London
(Great Britain Royal Commission on London Government, October 1893), p. 6
- ^
Gallagher, Michael; Kreye, Joseph; Duros, Staci (2020),
Redistricting in Wisconsin 2020: The LRB Guidebook
(PDF)
, Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, p. 25
- ^
Zones
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- ^
Elected Members: Rohini Zone (Ward-wise)
at
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- ^
Local Government Act 1994, s. 63: Electoral divisions (
No. 8 of 1994, s. 63
). Act of the
Oireachtas
. Retrieved from
Irish Statute Book
.
- ^
Local Government Act 1994, s. 24: Local electoral areas (
No. 8 of 1994, s. 24
). Act of the
Oireachtas
. Retrieved from
Irish Statute Book
.
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Non-English terms or loanwords
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