A referendum is an expression of the will of the people, used to endorse or reject proposals and to make binding decisions by direct vote. A referendum can be a part of an election (as is often the case) or can be a stand-alone process.
There are several different types of referendums, including an optional referendum, an authorities plebiscite, and a popular initiative. An optional referendum results from a request from an organization’s executives or a country’s legislative branch, and may include advisory questions to gauge public opinion or binding questions of law. An authorities plebiscite, also known as a legislative referendum, is initiated by the government or legislature, and may involve either advisory questions to gauge public opinion or proposed changes to laws and constitutional statutes. A popular initiative, or initiative referendum, is a citizen-led process to propose and vote on new laws.
In order to be considered valid, a referendum must meet a participation quorum, which is typically a percentage of registered voters. This helps prevent referendum results from being skewed by low turnout or decided by a motivated minority of voters, and also ensures that a decision is made by the majority of citizens who actually participate in the referendum.
Proponents of referendum argue that they increase the legitimacy of political decisions and enable citizens to express their views on issues that are important to them. However, opponents argue that referendums are often abused by dictators to disguise oppressive policies as populism, and that they can be susceptible to manipulation by the media, strong personalities, propaganda, and expensive advertising campaigns.