Referendum

A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. Certain kinds of referendums held in some states of the United States are referred to as ballot measures or propositions. The referendum or plebiscite is a form of direct democracy.

Multiple-choice referendums

A referendum usually offers the electorate only two choices, either to accept or reject a proposal, but this need not necessarily be the case. In Switzerland, for example, multiple choice referendums are common; two multiple choice referendums held in Sweden, in 1957 and 1980, offered voters a choice of three options; and in 1977 a referendum held in Australia to determine a new national anthem was held in which voters were presented with four choices. In June 1948, a multiple-choice referendum was held in Newfoundland, with three choices: join Canada as a province, be restored as a dominion under the British crown, or continue with the commission administration in effect since 1934. With the commission option eliminated, a subsequent referendum the next month saw the voters choose to join Canada.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - Sweden - 1957 - 1980 - 1977 - Australia - National anthem - 1948 - Newfoundland - Canada

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A multiple choice referendum poses the problem of how the result is to be determined if no single option receives the support of an absolute majority (i.e., more than half) of voters. This can be resolved by applying voting systems designed for single winner elections to a multiple-choice referendum.

Related Topics:
Majority - Voting system

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Swiss referendums get around this problem by offering a separate vote on each of the multiple options as well as an additional decision about which of the multiple options should be preferred. In the Swedish case, in both referendums the 'winning' option was chosen by the Single Member Plurality ("first past the post") system. In other words the winning option was deemed to be that supported by a plurality, rather than an absolute majority, of voters. In the 1977 Australian referendum the winner was chosen by the system of Instant Run-off Voting (also known as the 'Alternative Vote').

Related Topics:
Single Member Plurality - Plurality - Instant Run-off Voting

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Some groups, such as the Northern Ireland De Borda Institute, advocate the conduct of referendums using the Borda count form of preferential voting, and refer to such a vote as a Borda 'preferendum'. The De Borda Institute argues that the Borda count would produce results based on consensus rather than majoritarianism; it is therefore suggested for use in plebiscites held in areas of conflict such as Northern Ireland, the Balkans or Kashmir. Critics of the Borda count argue that it is particularly susceptible to tactical voting and to the tactical nomination of candidates, and that it may produce results that are opposed by a majority of voters. Other voting methods that could be employed are range voting or approval voting that are not subject to the effects of irrelevant alternatives and less susceptible to insincere preference intensity.

Related Topics:
Northern Ireland - De Borda Institute - Borda count - Preferential voting - Majoritarianism - Balkans - Kashmir - Range voting - Approval voting

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