Tyrannies of the Majority and Minority

I have heard people defend our electoral college process of choosing the president as a way to avoid the so-called tyranny of the majority.  And recently, there has been much written about the tyranny of a small radical minority of the republican party, who have been able to stall or derail legislation.  What are the concepts behind these tyrannies and what can be done to limit the wrong that such tyrannies may do?

The USA proclaims itself a democracy.  This means that the people should dictate what the government does. In making decisions, a government either directly polls the people or does so through their representatives.  In general, the majority determines the decision.  The minority of people or representatives who voted against the decision may feel aggrieved, but if a decision must be made then it is only logical to follow the will of the majority. 

 

However, there may be situations where the minority may not only be disappointed but actually harmed or persecuted or significantly disadvantaged by a majority decision.  The challenge for government is to find ways to prevent this from happening while not allowing minority interests to acquire more influence or power than they actually deserve.

 

Where majority rule may err is when it is specifically targeting minority groups.  As long as the issues it addresses apply to all citizens, then it makes perfect sense to go with the majority.

 

One of the primary means for preventing tyranny or oppression is to establish a basic set of rights that even the majority may not violate.  Another way to protect minority groups is to have a judicial branch that evaluates laws and decisions on the basis of fairness and reasonableness.

 

To call the electoral college process a way to prevent the tyranny of the majority doesn’t make sense.  There is absolutely no reason why the majority should not choose the president.  The choice is impacting all citizens equally, and no minority is being specifically disadvantaged.  It is simply nonsensical to say that a minority of citizens should hold sway over the choice for president.

There is also the potential for the tyranny of the minority in government.  Powerful or wealthy special interest groups that represent a minority can play an outsize role in determining policies.  Also, small groups within the legislature can use various ploys to advance their minority views. 

 

There are safeguards built into our governing process that attempt to mitigate the potential for tyranny of the majority – filibusters, super-majorities, lobbying and PAC activities, and various other arcane practices.  But these seem to now be more likely to contribute to a tyranny of the minority.  For example, most of the country would like stricter gun control but a minority interest group prevents that.  The same is true for reproductive freedoms.

 

Alas, governing is a messy process and there is no perfect way to balance everyone’s interests.  This is one of the reasons that a constitution and form of government should evolve and not be set in stone.  As our society and the world change, so must also the way that we govern ourselves.