Majority rule facts for kids

Majority rule is a way for groups, like a government or a club, to make decisions. It means that a decision is made if more than half of the people vote for it. For example, if 100 people are voting, at least 51 votes are needed for a decision to pass. This method is often used in referendums, where people vote "yes" or "no" on a new law.

Majority rule is different from a plurality vote. In a plurality vote, the person or option with the most votes wins, even if they don't have more than half of all the votes. This often happens in elections when there are many choices. For instance, if three people run for office and one gets 40% of the votes, they win if the others get 30% each. The House of Commons in the UK and many similar parliaments use plurality voting. The U.S. also uses a plurality rule for its presidential elections.

Some people worry that majority rule can lead to the "tyranny of the majority." This means that a large group (the majority) might vote for something that helps them but harms a smaller group (the minority). It could even go against basic human rights. To stop this, countries often have rules like a constitution or rule of law. These rules protect everyone's rights, no matter how many people are in their group.

Why Rules Are Needed

Sometimes, a simple majority vote might not be the best way to make every decision. There are good reasons why groups might want to add extra rules to protect everyone.

Protecting Minority Rights

One big concern with majority rule is the idea of the "tyranny of the majority." This is when the larger group makes decisions that are unfair or harmful to smaller groups. Imagine if a majority voted to take away a right from a minority group. That wouldn't be fair!

To prevent this, some groups use "supermajority rules." This means a decision needs more than just half the votes to pass. For example, a rule might say that two-thirds or three-fourths of the votes are needed. The United States Senate uses a three-fifths supermajority rule to end a filibuster, which is when a senator tries to delay a vote. This makes it harder for a simple majority to push through decisions that might hurt a minority.

Another way to protect minorities is to have special rights that cannot be changed by a simple vote. These are often called "inalienable rights" and are written into a country's constitution. These rights ensure that everyone has equal treatment. For example, the right to vote should apply to all citizens, and a majority cannot take that away. However, some argue that if these special rights were put in place by a supermajority vote, they might have the same problems as other supermajority rules. Also, simply writing down rights doesn't always guarantee they are followed.

Making Better Decisions

Sometimes, groups might make decisions that aren't the most important or effective. This is called the "erroneous priorities effect." It means that groups might focus on what they think is important, but they haven't figured out what truly needs to be done to reach their goals. It's like trying to build a house without a proper plan.

This can happen when people vote based on their own ideas without fully understanding how everything is connected. To make better decisions, groups need to talk and learn from each other. They need to understand how different choices will affect everyone.

Other Reasons for Limits

Some people believe that simple majority rule can lead to arguments or a "win-lose" situation. They say it doesn't show how strongly people feel about a topic. For example, two people who don't care much about a decision could outvote one person who feels very strongly against it.

Also, some experts say that for very important decisions, it's better to have almost everyone agree. For example, in a U.S. jury, at least 10 out of 12 jurors (or sometimes all 12) must agree on a decision. This is because the legal system believes people are innocent until proven guilty. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, "The more the deliberations are important and serious, the more the opinion that carries should approach unanimity."

Why Simple Majority Rule Can Be Good

Even with the concerns, many people believe that simple majority rule is the best way to make decisions.

Protecting Minority Rights (Again!)

It might sound strange, but some argue that majority rule actually helps protect minority rights, especially when people talk things through. If a group loses a vote, they know they can try again later and might win with a different majority. This encourages everyone to stay involved and keep working together.

Under simple majority rule, a minority group only needs to convince a few more people to join them to change a decision. With supermajority rules, they might need to convince a much larger group, which can be harder. For example, in the U.S. Senate, the supermajority rule for ending a filibuster was once used to block laws that would give more rights to racial minorities. This shows that supermajority rules don't always protect minorities.

Encouraging Discussion and Compromise

Some people believe that simple majority rule makes groups talk more and find ways to agree. Because you always need to convince more than half the group, people have to listen to different ideas and find common ground. This means people are more likely to compromise instead of just trying to win with the smallest possible number of votes.

Another point is that under majority rule, minority groups might support a proposal they don't love if it means another group will support something that is very important to them. This helps everyone understand how strongly different people feel about different issues. Because there are rarely "permanent losers" under majority rule, it encourages everyone to participate and keeps the group stable. Countries like the Netherlands, Austria, and Sweden often use majority rule without many extra checks, and their governments are very stable.

See also

In Spanish: Regla de la mayoría para niños