The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that to secure the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

On election day, we should pause to reflect on the meaning of this statement. What constitutes the consent of the governed? How does it relate to voting and elections? How should we evaluate popular views about the role and importance of representative government and democracy?

In this episode, we explore the answers to these questions from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s own view of the consent of the governed.