Why is Ralph elected leader?

The power of the conch helped Ralph to be elected leader
of the pack of stranded boys in William Golding's novel, Lord of the
Flies. After Piggy retrieves the conch and shows Ralph how to blow it, the
other boys follow the sound and unite on the beach. When they determine that no grownups
are alive, Ralph holds up the conch for silence. A boy calls out, "A chief! A chief!"
Jack responds that "I ought to be chief." But when a vote is decided, "every hand
outside the choir except Piggy's was raised" for Ralph. Only the members of the choir,
of which Jack was the leader, supported Jack. The boys determined that Ralph was more of
a natural leader--they quieted when he raised his hand (and the conch)--and his desire
to "decide about being rescued" prompted the boys to make a logical
choice.