as in vote
an event in which the electorate votes for or against a law that deals with a specific issue
They are having a referendum so the public can decide the controversial issue.
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Recent Examples of referendum
Those changes include new referendum procedures that would allow a relatively small slice of the electorate to force a national vote to overturn the government or dismiss individual ministers.
—
Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Question 1, one of four referendums approved by Maine voters in the Nov. 5 elections, sets a new limit of $5,000 for contributions to independent expenditure groups that spend money independently to support or defeat candidates in federal, state and local elections.
—Chris Wade | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
Now, residents are seeing the impact of that referendum on their property tax bills, Cleo Krejci reports.
—Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
With the passage of the city's transit referendum on Nov. 5, Dickerson Pike, one of the deadliest roads in Nashville, is slated to see major changes, including more sidewalks and smart traffic lights.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for referendum 
Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Question 1, one of four referendums approved by Maine voters in the Nov. 5 elections, sets a new limit of $5,000 for contributions to independent expenditure groups that spend money independently to support or defeat candidates in federal, state and local elections.
—Chris Wade | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
Now, residents are seeing the impact of that referendum on their property tax bills, Cleo Krejci reports.
—Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
With the passage of the city's transit referendum on Nov. 5, Dickerson Pike, one of the deadliest roads in Nashville, is slated to see major changes, including more sidewalks and smart traffic lights.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for referendum
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“Referendum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referendum. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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