Editing Referendum (section)

{{short description|Direct vote on a specific proposal}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
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| image1            = Bulletin référendum Cote d'ivoire 2016.jpg
| image2            = Pike Place Market Initiative flyer, 1971 (48880312513).jpg
| image3            = Referendum-2-giugno scheda elettorale.jpg
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| footer            = From top to bottom: ballots for the [[2016 Ivorian constitutional referendum]]; flyer for a 1971 American referendum; the [[1946 Italian institutional referendum]] deciding on republic or monarchy.
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{{Direct Democracy}}
{{Elections}}
{{politics}}
A '''referendum''', '''plebiscite''', or '''ballot measure''' is a [[Direct democracy|direct]] [[vote]] by the [[Constituency|electorate]] (rather than their [[Representative democracy|representatives]]) on a proposal, law, or political issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/plebiscite |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712195247/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/plebiscite |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Definition of Plebiscite |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new [[policy]]) or advisory (functioning like a large-scale [[opinion poll]]).