The table below shows the share of total votes of 4 political parties and the percentage change from the previous election.

Party	Share of vote (%)	Percentage change
Party A	12.8	+4.0
Party B	32.7	-1.8
Party C	28.1	+2.2
Party D	26.4	-4.4

If 3.5 million people voted in the current election, how many voted for Party B in the previous election?

We are tasked with finding how many people voted for Party B in the **previous election**. To do this, we need to:

1. Find how many people voted for Party B in the current election.
2. Use the percentage change to calculate how many voted for Party B in the previous election.

### Step 1: Calculate the number of people who voted for Party B in the current election
The share of votes for Party B in the current election is 32.7%.

Thus, the number of votes Party B received is:

\[
\text{Votes for Party B in current election} = 32.7\% \times 3.5 \text{ million}
\]

\[
= \frac{32.7}{100} \times 3,500,000 = 1,144,500 \text{ votes}
\]

### Step 2: Use the percentage change to find the number of votes in the previous election
The percentage change for Party B is **-1.8%**, which means the votes decreased by 1.8% from the previous election.

Let \( x \) be the number of votes Party B received in the previous election. Since the number of votes decreased by 1.8%, we can write the relationship as:

\[
1,144,500 = x \times \left(1 - \frac{1.8}{100}\right)
\]

\[
1,144,500 = x \times 0.982
\]

Now, solve for \( x \):

\[
x = \frac{1,144,500}{0.982} \approx 1,165,582.48
\]

Thus, approximately **1,165,582** people voted for Party B in the previous election.

### Summary:
Around **1,165,582** people voted for Party B in the previous election.

Do you need more details or have any questions?

Here are 5 related questions to further your understanding:
1. How many people voted for Party C in the previous election?
2. What was the total number of voters in the previous election?
3. By what percentage did Party D's vote count decrease from the previous election?
4. If the total votes increased by 5% compared to the previous election, what was the voter turnout then?
5. How many additional voters did Party A gain compared to the previous election?

**Tip:** To solve percentage change problems, always relate the final value to the original using the formula: 
\[
\text{New value} = \text{Old value} \times (1 + \text{percentage change})
\]

Learn how to calculate the number of votes Party B received in the previous election based on a 1.8% decrease from the current vote share of 32.7%. This step-by-step solution helps you understand percentage change and algebraic reasoning with real-world voting data. Suitable for students in Grades 9-11.

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