I header an apt example.
A group of 10 people are asked to come up with specs for a new car. There is one engineer from the car industry, the rest being from a wide variety of background with no detailed knowledge of car design or manufacture.
After much discussion, they all agree that they want a cheap car, with lots of power and very economical. The specs that they decide on are:
- Produces 500BHP
- Does 100mpg
- Costs £10,000 OTR
The engineer tells them it's not possible to meet their spec, but the rest of them vote in favour, giving 90% of the vote to it.
The democratic will of the people is that the design should go ahead. But, in this instance, the 10% vote (from the person who actually knows about the subject) should carry more weight.