A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, they can be appended to the constitution as supplemental additions, thus changing the frame of government without altering the existing text of the document.
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fundamental rights of a minority, but they can also hamper efforts to respond to problems and encourage corrupt compromises in the times action is taken. Changes to constitutions, especially those with entrenched clauses, commonly require supermajority support in a legislature. Parliamentary procedure requires that any action of a deliberative assembly that may alter the rights of a minority have a supermajority requirement, such as a two-thirds vote.
A second referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 4 September 1984, after the previous referendum had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked two questions:
- Whether they approved of the proposed Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States
- What their preference for a future political status was if the Free Association was rejected. They were offered the choice of a closer relationship than Trusteeship, or independence.
A third referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 21 February 1986, after the previous two referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 72.2% of voters, with a turnout of 71.3%.
A fourth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 2 December 1986, after the previous three referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 66.0% of voters, with a turnout of 82.0%.
A fifth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 30 June 1987, after the previous four referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 67.6% of voters, with a turnout of 76.1%. Following the fifth failure to achieve the necessary majority, a constitutional referendum was held in August, with the aim of reducing the majority needed.
A sixth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 21 August 1987, after the previous five referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 73.0% of voters, with a turnout of 74.7%.
A seventh referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 6 February 1990, after the previous six referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. Although it was approved by voters, the quorum of 75% in favour was not reached, resulting in the referendum failing.
An eighth referendum on the Compact of Free Association was held in Palau on 9 November 1993, after the previous seven referendums had failed to achieve the 75% in favour necessary. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States signed on 10 January 1986. It was approved by 68.4% of voters, with a turnout of 64.4%. This time the referendum was passed, due to the constitutional amendment approved in a referendum the previous year that had lowered the threshold to a 50% majority.
A constitutional referendum was held in Palau on 4 November 1992 to lower the majority threshold requirement for approving the Compact of Free Association with the United States from 75% to 50%. Seven previous referendums had approved the Compact, but not by the majority required. A previous referendum had approved a lowering of the threshold, but was subsequently declared void by the Supreme Court.
A two-part referendum was held in Switzerland on 23 May 1875. A new federal law establishing and certifying civil status and marriage was narrowly approved, whilst a new federal law on suffrage was narrowly rejected.
Two referendums were held in Switzerland in January and May 1879. A federal law on subsidies for railways in the Alps was passed by 70.7% of voters on 19 January, whilst a referendum on abolishing the constitutional ban on the death penalty on 18 May was passed by 52.5% of voters and a majority of cantons. Following the vote, ten of the 26 cantons reintroduced the death penalty during the 1880s and 1890s and nine executions occurred before its nationwide abolition in 1938, when a new criminal code was approved in a referendum.
Two referendums were held in Switzerland in 1887. The first was held on 15 May, asking voters whether they approved of a federal law on spirits, and was approved by 65.9% of voters. The second was held on 10 July, asking voters whether they approved of an amendment made to article 64 of the federal constitution, and was approved by 77.9% of voters and 20.5 cantons.
Five referendums were held in Switzerland in 1891. The first was held on 15 March on a federal law on federal officials who had become unemployable due to disability, and was rejected by 79.4% of voters. The second was held on 5 July on a constitutional amendment, and was approved by 60.3% of voters. Two referendums were held on 18 October, one on revising article 39 of the federal constitution and one on a federal law on Swiss tariffs; both were approved. The last was held on 6 December on the question of whether the federal government should purchase the Swiss Central Railway, but was rejected by 68.9% of voters.
A referendum on a war tax was held in Switzerland on 6 June 1915. Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the constitution to introduce a one-off war tax during the First World War, which Switzerland remained neutral. It was approved by a large majority of voters and all cantons, the first time a referendum had been passed in every canton.
Three referendums were held in Switzerland during 1898. The first was held on 20 February on a federal law that would nationalise the railways, and was approved by a majority of voters, leading to the establishment of Swiss Federal Railways in 1902. The second and third referendums were held on 13 November on revising article 64 and adding article 64bis to the constitution, both of which were approved by a majority of voters and cantons.
Six referendums were held in Switzerland during 1938. The first four were held on 20 February; the first on amending articles 107 and 116 of the constitution to make Romansch an official language, which was approved by over 90% of voters and all cantons. The second was on a popular initiative "on urgent federal resolutions and the protection of people's rights" and was rejected by 85% of voters. The third was on a popular initiative on the private arms industry, and was also rejected by a wide margin, whilst the fourth was on a counter-proposal to the arms industry question, and was approved by voters. The fifth referendum was held on 3 July on the penal code, and was approved. The sixth and final referendum of the year was held on 27 November on a federal resolution on the transient order of the federal budget, and was approved by 72% of voters.
Two referendums were held in Switzerland during 1945. The first was held on 21 January on a federal law on the Swiss Federal Railways, and was approved by voters. The second was held on 25 November on a federal resolution on the "for the family" petition, and was also approved.
A series of referendums on the proposed constitution of Australia were held between 2 June 1898 and 31 July 1900 in the six colonies that were to become the states of the Commonwealth of Australia. The first four referendums were held in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria in June 1898. Although all four saw a majority vote in favour, the majority in New South Wales was insufficient. Knowledge of the result in New South Wales led to low voter turnout in South Australia.
Parliamentary elections were held in the Federated States of Micronesia on 5 March 2019, alongside a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention. All 14 seats in Congress were up for election, and all 13 incumbents standing for re-election were returned to Congress.
