A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the people (rather than their elected representatives) on a particular proposal, law, or political issue. It may be binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy), consultative, or even non-binding. Some examples of referenda include contracts, code changes, budget approvals, ratification of treaties, constitutional amendments, and decisions on whether to join or leave international organizations.
It is important for journalists covering referendums to understand that the way in which voters respond to ballot measures can be influenced by many factors outside of fiery policy debates and expensive advertising campaigns. These factors include voter demographics, the wording of the ballot question, and whether it appears on the front or back of the ballot. Moreover, it is often difficult for voters to evaluate the information presented in referendums, especially when questions are lengthy and the ballot measures appear near the bottom of the page.
A key challenge is to ensure that the results of a referendum are valid and not skewed by low turnout. Various methods can be used to avoid this problem, such as including a participation quorum requirement in which a certain percentage of voters must vote for the referendum to have legal validity. This type of requirement is common in the case of referendums on constitution amendments, which require a supermajority to be passed. It is less common for referendums on other proposals, such as a national anthem or the electoral system.