Politicians love to declare that the “people have chosen for themselves at the polls.” But the “people” don’t have a mind; only individuals do. Those who have voted against the winner are now under the jurisdiction of someone who doesn’t represent them. Even the concept of the “majority” is often misleading. In any election, many people vote against the winner, many others abstain from voting because they realize their individual votes are irrelevant to the outcome, and others aren’t even allowed to vote (but are bound by the outcome). Those who voted for the winner are usually a minority — and even they may have voted only for the least unpleasant alternative.