These Hands

Majority Rule

Majority rule is the principle that the group that has the most supporters gets its way. A majority is more than half of the voters involved, and rule by such a majority is thought to be to the benefit of more than rule by less than half (a mere minority) would be. Majority rule is the binary decision rule most often used in decision-making bodies, including many legislatures of democratic nations. Where no one party wins a majority of the seats in a legislature, the majority of legislators that wields power is partly composed of members of other parties in support. Where only two candidates are competing for a single seat, one or the other will take a majority of valid votes. But in situations where more than two are competing, simple plurality is sometimes … more »