A Referendum is a ballot measure that asks voters to approve or reject a specific proposal. They are usually used to amend the constitution, but may also be used to overturn laws or government regulations or to ratify international agreements.
The choice on a referendum is typically between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in some cases multiple-choice options can be included. It is also possible to include an ‘I don’t know’ option. A referendum can be combined with other polls such as an election or a local vote, or it can be held separately from a general election. The decision of whether to combine or hold the referendum separately from an election is often based on political considerations such as cost and the risk that voters might confuse separate issues.
Referenda are generally only used for major policy decisions, and the circumstances under which they can be held are specified by law. It is important that the issues in a referendum are well understood and that the choice presented to voters is clear. A key disadvantage of a referendum is that it opens the space for actors on both sides of the issue to seduce voters with false promises based on fantasies about an ideal outcome if a change is rejected. This was the case in the British referendum on electoral reform where the campaign portrayed the choice between first-past-the-post and the Alternative Vote as one between more liberal Democratic and Labour voters, and the more conservative Conservative voters were portrayed as the losers.
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