Direct Democracy and the Diffusion of Anti-Minority Policies

One way to evaluate the “tyranny of the majority” theory is to examine the diffusion of anti-minority policies across the American states. If direct democracy does endanger minority rights, then states with ballot initiatives and referenda should be more likely and quicker to adopt an anti-minority policy than states without direct democracy institutions. With the ability to circumvent the representational filters of traditional democratic government, a united majority should be better able to enact their preferred policy with little resistance from minority groups.