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A referendum or plebiscite (plurals referendums or
referenda, plebiscites) is a general poll on a legislative or constitutional issue.
Referendum is the referring of a political question to a direct vote of
the electorate.
A consultative referendum (also called an advisory referendum) leaves the interpretation of
the vote to the legislature.
A binding referendum is possible only in some countries, a
certain size of the participating electorate often being a prerequisite.
A plebiscite is directed to all citizens, regardless of their franchise. A plebiscite, in its narrow sense, is the request for approval of a (radical) governmental
decree or approval of the general policies of the government, typically in states without
democracy, parliamentarism or a representative parliament. An
exception to this took place in Ireland when the Constitution of the Irish Free State was replaced by the Constitution of Ireland by plebiscite on July 1, 1937.
Referenda are a key measure in semi-direct democracy
and the only measure in a pure direct democracy. Few
believe that such "rule by poll" is always desirable. For one, referenda may lead to inconsistent politics, such as increasing
spending on certain issues while lowering taxation (both of which are likely to be
favored by many voters). Voters may be subject to a disinformation
campaign, especially on emotional issues. Also, referenda may be inadequate for very technical issues. However, most advocates of
grassroots democracy propose measures that would make them
far more common.
In most jurisdictions practicing representative
democracy referenda, the calling of which can only be achieved through the act of a legislature, are a relatively rare
event.
The constitutions of many jurisdictions may only be altered by a
referendum.
In some jurisdictions measures such as constitutional amendments, ordinary laws or the "recall" of elected representatives must be put to a referendum upon the request of a certain
proportion of voters, in a process called the "initiative".
Referenda on Constitutional Amendments
In the Republic of Ireland a referendum must be held in
order to amend the constitution (Bunreacht na
hÉireann). First a bill to amend the constitution must be passed by both houses of the
Republic's Parliament, the Oireachtas. If the proposal is endorsed by a simple
majority of the valid poll the bill is signed by the President
of Ireland and the amendment takes effect. The Irish electorate has participated in over 20 such referenda since the adoption
of the Constitution in 1937.
In Australia, a referendum is necessary in order to amend the Constitution. As
in the Republic of Ireland, a bill must first be passed by the two houses of Parliament. If a majority of those voting, as well
as a majority in each of a majority of states, vote in favour of the amendment, it is presented for the Queen's Assent, given in
her name by the Governor-General.
See also
External links
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