referendo

A referendo, or referendum, is a direct vote in which the entire electorate is asked to accept or reject a particular proposal or question. It is a mechanism of direct democracy used to decide specific issues, such as constitutional amendments or new laws, outside of the regular electoral contests.

Types: There are binding referenda, whose outcome has legal force, and consultative or non-binding referenda, whose results guide decision-makers but do not automatically change laws. Common forms include constitutional referenda (to approve changes to a constitution), legislative referenda (to approve or reject laws passed by the legislature), and popular or recall referenda (to challenge or repeal existing laws or to recall officials). Some jurisdictions also use optional or compulsory referenda, triggered by citizen signatures or by the government.

Process: The specific rules—who can trigger a referendum, the required number of signatures, the time limit, the question's wording, campaigning rules, the voting method—vary by country. Outcomes may require a simple majority, a qualified majority, or a regional majority, depending on the jurisdiction and issue.

Examples: Referenda are widely used in some democracies, notably Switzerland, where both mandatory and optional referenda are common; Ireland has used constitutional referenda on social and political issues; in other countries they are less frequent or exist on a regional basis.