A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding or advisory.
A popular initiative is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.
In the politics of the United States, the process of initiatives and referendums allow citizens of many U.S. states to place legislation on the ballot for a referendum or popular vote, either enacting new legislation, or voting down existing legislation. Citizens, or an organization, might start a popular initiative to gather a predetermined number of signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. The measure is placed on the ballot for the referendum, or actual vote.
This is a list of referendums related to the European Union, or referendums related to the European Communities, which were predecessors of the European Union. Since 1972, a total of 48 referendums have been held by EU member states, candidate states, and their territories, with several additional referendums held in countries outside the EU. The referendums have been held most commonly on the subject of whether to become a member of European Union as part of the accession process, although the EU does not require any candidate country to hold a referendum to approve membership or as part of treaty ratification. Other EU-related referendums have been held on the adoption of the euro and on participation in other EU-related policies.
All elections in the Czech Republic are based on the principle of universal suffrage. Any adult citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote, except those who have been stripped of their legal capacities by a court, usually on the basis of mental illness. Elected representatives are elected directly by the citizens without any intermediaries. Election laws are not part of the constitution, but – unlike regular laws – they cannot be changed without the consensus of both houses of the Parliament. The Czech Republic uses a two-round plurality voting system for the presidential and Senate elections and an open party-list proportional representation system for all other elections. The proportional representation system uses the Sainte-Laguë method for allocating seats.
Referendums are held only occasionally by the Government of New Zealand. Referendums may be government-initiated or held in accordance with the Electoral Act 1993 or the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993. Nineteen referendums have been held so far ; fourteen were government-led, and five were indicative citizen initiatives.
There have been fifteen referendums in Lithuania since it declared independence from the Soviet Union on 11 March 1990. Because of strict requirements, only four referendums have been successful. Older Lithuanian laws required that more than half of all registered voters would vote in support of a proposal for it to become a binding obligation to the government. In 2002, this requirement was lowered to one third of all registered voters.
Referendums in Taiwan at both the national and local level are governed by the Referendum Act of Taiwan, which was enacted by the Legislative Yuan in December 2003. Citizens can propose laws via referendums at the national and local levels. The Referendum Act also allowed people to make changes or abolish laws by referendums.
A legislative referral is a referendum in which a legislature puts proposed legislation up for popular vote. This may either be voluntarily or, as is the case in many countries for a constitutional amendment, as a mandatory part of the procedure for passing a law. These referrals, depending on the location, can either amend a constitution or enact a change in statute. It is a form of direct democracy. In some places it is known as an authorities referendum,authorities plebiscite, government initiated referendum, or top-down referendum It may originate from the legislative branch, executive branch, or a combination of the two.
The 2009 New Zealand Referendum on Child Discipline was held from 31 July to 21 August, and was a citizens-initiated referendum on parental corporal punishment. It asked:
Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?
A three-part referendum was held in Switzerland on 21 October 1877. A federal law on working in factories was approved by voters, whilst a federal law on compensation for not serving in the military and a federal law on the political rights of settled and travelling people and the loss of rights for Swiss citizens were both rejected.
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This article summarises referendum laws and practice in various countries.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2020, with voting on 9 February, 27 September and 29 November. Voting was also planned for 17 May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two referendum questions were placed on the statewide ballot in Maine for November 2, 2021. One is a citizen-initiated proposal, while the other is a proposed amendment to the Maine Constitution submitted by the Maine Legislature for ratification.
A constitutional referendum was held in Nauru on 13 November 2021. The referendum was the result of government proposal to amend article 31 of the constitution to bar naturalised citizens and their descendants from becoming members of parliament, or holding the presidency or ministerial posts. The proposal was approved by 71% of voters.
A referendum on holding early elections to the Legislative Assembly was held in Norfolk Island on 24 October 2001. The citizen-initiated vote proposed bringing forwards the elections scheduled for 2003.
An electoral system referendum was held in Norfolk Island on 10 July 1979 on the introduction of proportional representation for the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly.
A status referendum was held in Norfolk Island on 2 January 1991 on the constitutional status of the Australian overseas territory of Norfolk Island.
An electoral status referendum was held in Norfolk Island on 21 October 1991 on whether Norfolk Island would become part of Canberra for electoral purposes.
A referendum was held in Norfolk Island on 1 December 1982 to decide whether the electoral system for the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly should be changed from proportional representation to a new cumulative voting system.
