Ward (United States)

Optional division of a city or town

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In the United States, a ward is an optional division of a city or town for administrative and representative purposes, especially for purposes of an election.^[1] Depending upon the state and local laws, the term ward can mean any of:

an electoral district of a city council or town board, created for the purpose of providing more direct representation, from which one or more council members are elected; or
a division used in political party leadership elections; or
an administrative division, as in the wards of Newark, New Jersey or the six wards of Houston.

In Wisconsin, a 'ward' is what in most other states would be a precinct.^[2]

References

^ "ward" - Dictionary.com.
^ Gallagher, Michael; Kreye, Joseph; Duros, Staci (2020), Redistricting in Wisconsin 2020: The LRB Guidebook (PDF), Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, p. 25, archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2024