majority rule
Most votes win
Majority rule is the principle that decisions should be made according to what more than half of a group wants.
It's the basic mechanism of democratic voting: the option with the most support wins.
Critics note that majority rule can override minority interests, leading to constitutional protections and supermajority requirements for certain decisions.
- ballotVoting document
- votingFormally registering a choice
- voice voteOral yes-or-no tally
- show of handsVoting by lifting arms
- referendumDirect vote on legislation
democracy · suffrage · popular sovereignty · plurality · first past the post · constitutional amendments · proportional representation · electorate · winner-take-all · minority representation · quorum · veto override · legislative process · masses · equality · secret ballot · mandate · debate
- consensusunanimity, supermajority, plurality, ballot, quorum
- democracyvote, voting, election, elections, ballot
- governancegovernance, government, democracy, vote, parliament
- decisionschoice, make a decision, choices, yes, no
- African IndependenceNelson Mandela, independence movement, national liberation, freedom fighters, anti-colonial
- ancient politicsAthenian democracy, polis, senate, archon, direct democracy
majority ruleunanimity
Complete group agreement
consensus · unanimous consent · supermajority · veto power · two-thirds majority
majority ruleautocracy
Rule by one
oligarchy · dictatorship · one-man rule · tyranny · authoritarianism
majority ruleminority rights
Safeguards for underrepresented populations
individual rights · judicial review · minority protections · checks and balances · bill of rights
rule, majority, majored, majoring, majorities, majorly, majoritarian, majoritarianism