Doublemajorities
Doublemajorities is a voting rule in which a decision—often a constitutional amendment or major policy change—must obtain two separate majorities to be valid. Typically, one is a broad popular majority, and the second is a second dimension such as geographic regions, subnational units, or a second decision-making body. The aim is to ensure that reforms have wide support across different segments of the polity, not just a simple nationwide majority.
Common forms include two-stage thresholds that must be met together. In practice, this often means a nationwide
Australia provides a well-known example in constitutional referenda. A proposed amendment must win a majority of
Switzerland employs a similar principle for constitutional amendments: not only a majority of voters nationwide but
The European Union has used a form of double majority within its ordinary legislative procedure under the
The rationale behind doublemajorities includes protection of regional or minority interests and the reinforcement of legitimacy