A referendum (or plebiscite) is a direct vote by citizens on a proposal, law or political issue. It may be binding or advisory. A referendum is often used to resolve disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government. It is also used to address voter apathy or disenchantment with traditional forms of democracy.
Supporters of referendums argue that direct democracy empowers ordinary voters and helps to overcome the problems associated with representative government. They also point to the success of referendums on specific issues such as electoral reform, in which a referendum was used to change the first-past-the-post electoral system in the UK to the Alternative Vote model.
Opponents of referendums argue that they undermine the role and importance of elected representatives and can lead to ill-informed decisions by voters who do not have the capacity or time to become fully acquainted with the issues at hand. They also argue that it is difficult to guarantee the impartiality of referendum results.
As a result, many countries have adopted measures to limit the influence of referendums. These include campaign regulation to ensure that the amount of money spent by organisation campaigning for and against a referendum falls within defined limits, and that voters hear the arguments put forward by both sides of an issue. Subsidies are also used in some places to level the playing field. Channeling all activities through officially sanctioned ‘umbrella’ committees is another approach. Whether or not these strategies are effective remains a matter of debate.