What Does Anguilla Referendum 2012 Have to Do With You?

What Is A Referendum?
A referendum is defined as a popular vote on a ballot question.  This means that the general public, who are eligible, vote on a matter brought to the public forum. Often, referendums are brought up by the government to gain popular approval of new or changed laws or legislation. Also referendums can be brought about to get a clear understanding of the public’s stance on certain matters. 

Legally, referendums cannot change existing laws or legislation. If a referendum is called for a pending or proposed law or piece of legislation, then the views and wishes of the voters can have a greater effect on the proposal. So what referendums can do is—Guide the process of changing legislation to fit the wishes of the people.

Referendums can also be used by governments as policy determinants.  What does this mean? Well, what it can mean is that if is claiming that the people feel one way about a matter, a referendum can be used to express their views a whole thus depending on what the voters say, a party’s stance can swayed, influenced, or completely changed.

The structure of the referendum question s usually very simple, for example, a straight forward yes or no question with very simple language to ensure that every voter can understand the issue being decided.

Generally, referendums require that the majority of eligible voters participate and for a measure to pass, then a clear majority must vote in favour. A clear majority is often considered to be 2/3 of the participating voters. If a clear majority is not reached then the question is put aside to be decided again at another time.

Referendums are also one of the best ways to illustrate direct democracy. With referendums the voice of the people is heard directly by the government. There can be no arguing or misunderstanding when what the majority of the people want is so clearly expressed.

Also for a referendum to be supported by the UN, it is a standard requirement for a majority of the eligible voters to cast their ballot and a motion is passed only when there is a clear majority in favour of the motion, generally speaking a clear majority is 55.5% or more.