Guarding Against Minority Rule

Abstract: The authors respond to Michael Meyer-Resende's critique by clarifying that they do not endorse strict "vote majoritarianism," and they accept that democracy requires some counter majoritarian institutions to protect rights and the democratic process. Their concern is with institutional designs that systematically enable partisan minorities to thwart or rule over electoral majorities, such as is seen in extreme federal malapportionment, excessive judicial vetoes of ordinary legislation, and plurality systems that convert authoritarian pluralities into "manufactured majorities." In an era of strong ethnonationalist minorities, the authors argue, proportional representation better contains these forces. Safeguarding democracy now requires vigilance against institutions that entrench authoritarian minorities.