A Note on Collective Decision-Making

This morning, part of a radio news program here in Washington featured a discussion of general elections and runoff elections.  The specific context was Democrat Blanche Lincoln's prospects for re-nomination by her party to stand as the Democrats' candidate for reelection to the U.S. Senate from Arkansas.  If Ms. Lincoln doesn't get a majority of votes in today's three-person race for the nomination – and prospects are poor that she'll clear the 50-percent-vote hurdle – there will be a...