A referendum is a type of election in which voters are asked to make a “Yes” or “No” decision on a ballot proposal. Each country, state, or organization has its own statues and rules for holding referendum elections. However, referendums generally fall into three categories.
Voters are rarely fully informed about the implications of a proposed change in a referendum. This is because the issues that referendums address are often complex and rarely reach the level of general public debate. Moreover, the governing party of a country will often seek to frame the question with its own political objectives in mind. For example, the questions in the two Quebec sovereignty referendums were written by a government seeking a YES vote, incorporating appealing concepts such as a ‘new political and economic partnership’ (1995) or ‘equality of nations’ (1980).
In addition, voters are often risk-averse when making a choice on an issue with which they are unfamiliar. This is especially true if the referendum involves an unfamiliar policy area, or a policy change with uncertain consequences (e.g., changing the electoral system from first-past-the-post to AV).
These factors mean that referendums are often prone to campaigns based on misinformation or distortion. This is particularly the case when the governing party is active in the campaign, and is able to direct substantial resources towards the ‘Yes’ side of the referendum. Survey data from post-referendum voting frequently shows that ‘lack of information’ is one of the most common reasons why citizens give a negative answer to a referendum question.