referendum
A direct vote by the electorate on a specific proposal or issue
Examples
In a meeting
“The board is considering a referendum to let shareholders decide on the merger.”
Over coffee
“There's a referendum on the ballot about school funding.”
Why this word
vote
referendum specifically means a direct public vote on a specific issue or law, not candidate elections
ballot
referendum refers to the specific type of direct democracy measure, while ballot is just the voting document
poll
referendum is a binding direct vote on policy, while poll can mean survey or general voting
Usage tip
Use for direct democracy votes on specific questions, not candidate elections. Plural is 'referendums' or 'referenda.'
Etymology
Latin 'referendum' (thing to be referred) from 'referre' (carry back) — matter referred to voters
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Related words
enjoin
To legally prohibit or order someone to do or not do something
proscribe
To officially forbid or condemn something
severability
The legal principle that if one part of a contract is invalid, the rest remains enforceable
quorum
The minimum number of members required to be present for valid proceedings
recuse
To remove oneself from a decision due to conflict of interest or bias
culpable
Deserving blame or held responsible for wrongdoing