DOCSLIB.ORG

Conduct of Referendums Rn Contents

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Conduct of Referendums Rn Contents m Report of the Commission on the Conduct of Referendums rn Contents TERMS OF REFERENCE AND COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP ........................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Proposed Referendums .................................................................................................................................................... 14 The Role of the Commission on the Conduct of Referendums ........................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2: THE USE OF REFERENDUMS .......................................................................................................................... 17 Precedents ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Experience in the UK ........................................................................................................................................................ 19 Referendums and the UK Constitution ...................................................................................................................... 22 Not a Political Panacea ................................................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 3: THE FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................................................................. 25 The Need for Rules or Guidance ................................................................................................................................... 26 Organisation and Administration ............................................................................................................................. 26 Legislation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Judicial Review ................................................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 4: THE POLICY DECISIONS .................................................................................................................................. 35 Mandatory or Advisory .................................................................................................................................................... 36 Pre- or Post-Legislative .................................................................................................................................................. 39 The Electorate ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Thresholds ............................................................................................................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 5: THE QUESTION ....................................................................................................................................................45 Defining the Question ...................................................................................................................................................... 46 Wording the Question ..................................................................................................................................................... 46 Preamble ............................................................................................................................................................................... 48 One- or Two-Stage Referendums ................................................................................................................................. 48 Multi-Option Referendums ........................................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 6: THE CAMPAIGN .................................................................................................................................................. 53 Campaign Duration ............................................................................................................................................................ 54 Public Information ............................................................................................................................................................ 55 Campaign Organisations .................................................................................................................................................57 Government Activity ........................................................................................................................................................ 60 Party Political Activity ..................................................................................................................................................... 61 The Broadcast Media ....................................................................................................................................................... 61 Other Media ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63 CONTENTS CHAPTER 7: THE POLL ................................................................................................................................................................. 65 Date and Hours .................................................................................................................................................................. 66 Organisation of the Poll ................................................................................................................................................... 67 Vote-Counting and Declaration of the Results ......................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER 8: THE GUIDELINES ................................................................................................................................................ 71 The Framework ................................................................................................................................................................... 72 The Policy Decisions .......................................................................................................................................................... 73 The Question ........................................................................................................................................................................ 74 The Campaign ...................................................................................................................................................................... 74 The Poll .................................................................................................................................................................................. 76 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................ 76 APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................................................................................... 77 public Opinion and Referendums ................................................................................................................................. 78 APPENDIX B ..................................................................................................................................................................................81 International Use of Referendums ................................................................................................................................ 82 APPENDIX C ....................................................................................................................................................................................89 Initiating a Referendum .a Checklist ..........................................................................................................................90 APPENDIX D .................................................................................................................................................................................... 93 An Analysis of the Practical Arrangements for the 1975 Referendum .......................................................... 94 BlBLlOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................................................................. 99 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................................................1.00 1 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE CONDUCT OF REFERENDUMS Foreword Today there
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cabinet, President, Referendum: Turkey's Complex Political Calendar | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 1271 Cabinet, President, Referendum: Turkey's Complex Political Calendar Aug 10, 2007 Brief Analysis n August 9, the Turkish parliament elected Koksal Toptan, a deputy from the Justice and Development Party O (AKP) as its speaker. The AKP, which won 46 percent of the vote in July 22 parliamentary elections, controls 341 seats in the 550-member Turkish parliament. Thus has Turkey begun a very busy political season, with serious issues put off since the April constitutional crisis over the AKP's attempt to appoint its foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, as president. The new parliament's first order of business will be securing a vote of confidence for the AKP's new cabinet. Then the legislature will face the constitutional mandate of electing a new president, an executive post with important prerogatives such as appointing judges to the secular constitutional court. But while the Turkish parliament prepares to elect a president, Turks will vote in an October 21 referendum on constitutional amendments that would stipulate the direct popular election of the president. What are the timelines for these overlapping political processes and how smoothly will each of them run? Round I: Forming a New Government The next step for the AKP is to form government. According to Article 116 of the Turkish constitution, a new cabinet of ministers must be formed and then approved by the president and the parliament within forty-five days after the president authorizes the leader of the winning party to form government. The process of forming a government commenced on August 6, after Turkish president Ahmet Necdet Sezer commissioned AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to select a cabinet.
    [Show full text]
  • Values, Volatility and Voting: Understanding Voters in England 2015-2019
    VALUES, VOLATILITY AND VOTING: UNDERSTANDING VOTERS IN ENGLAND 2015-2019 Paula Surridge Paula Surridge School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies University of Bristol and UK in a Changing Europe [email protected] Please note: This paper is an early draft and may develop further before publication as new insights become available and modelling is refined. Comments are very welcome via [email protected] 1 ABSTRACT The EU referendum and subsequent general elections in the UK have renewed interest in the influence of values and identity on voting behaviour. This paper uses data from the British Election Study Internet Panel to study the influence of ‘core’ political values on voting behaviour in England at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections. Using a two- dimensional model of political values, the paper shows that both the ‘old’ political values of left and right (associated with economics) and the ‘new’ political values (measured here as ‘liberal-authoritarian’ values) were important in vote choices at each of the three elections. Using the ‘funnel of causality’ model, it shows that values are a more important influence when voters have weaker attachments to political parties and that the interaction between the dimensions is critical for understanding voting patterns. 2 INTRODUCTION Prior to 2016, the study of elections in the UK had largely turned away from values-based models with those based on the ‘valence’ effects of party identity, leadership and competence almost ‘universally accepted’ (Denver and Garnett, 2014). Whilst the EU Referendum (and subsequent general elections in 2017 and 2019) have renewed interest in values and identity as influences on political behaviour, it is a mistake to think of values divides as ‘new’ or as created by the EU referendum.
    [Show full text]
  • Initiative and Referendum— Direct Democracy for State Residents
    Initiative and Referendum— Direct Democracy for State Residents August 2009 Initiative and Referendum— Direct Democracy for State Residents A Publication of the Research Division of NACo’s County Services Department Written by Christopher Markwood Research Intern August 2009 National Association of Counties 1 About the National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal govern- ment, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org. For more information about this publication or the programs included, please contact: National Association of Counties Research Division a Phone: 202.393-6226 � Web site: www.naco.org 2 Initiative and Referendum—Direct Democracy for State Residents • August 2009 Introduction Reflecting upon his visit to America, French historian and philosopher Alexis de Toc- Overview queville observed, “To take a hand in the Initiative and Referendum (I&R) powers give regulation of society and to discuss it is his state residents the ability to have a direct biggest concern and, so to speak, the only voice in the governing rules of their state’s pleasure an American knows.”1 constitution. These processes can also be an influential tool for local officials of coun- In comparing Americans to citizens of other ties and municipalities.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Box Voting Ballot Tampering in the 21St Century
    This free internet version is available at www.BlackBoxVoting.org Black Box Voting — © 2004 Bev Harris Rights reserved to Talion Publishing/ Black Box Voting ISBN 1-890916-90-0. You can purchase copies of this book at www.Amazon.com. Black Box Voting Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century By Bev Harris Talion Publishing / Black Box Voting This free internet version is available at www.BlackBoxVoting.org Contents © 2004 by Bev Harris ISBN 1-890916-90-0 Jan. 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever except as provided for by U.S. copyright law. For information on this book and the investigation into the voting machine industry, please go to: www.blackboxvoting.org Black Box Voting 330 SW 43rd St PMB K-547 • Renton, WA • 98055 Fax: 425-228-3965 • [email protected] • Tel. 425-228-7131 This free internet version is available at www.BlackBoxVoting.org Black Box Voting © 2004 Bev Harris • ISBN 1-890916-90-0 Dedication First of all, thank you Lord. I dedicate this work to my husband, Sonny, my rock and my mentor, who tolerated being ignored and bored and galled by this thing every day for a year, and without fail, stood fast with affection and support and encouragement. He must be nuts. And to my father, who fought and took a hit in Germany, who lived through Hitler and saw first-hand what can happen when a country gets suckered out of democracy. And to my sweet mother, whose an- cestors hosted a stop on the Underground Railroad, who gets that disapproving look on her face when people don’t do the right thing.
    [Show full text]
  • The Return of Immigration Quotas Could Severely Challenge Switzerland's
    The return of immigration quotas could severely challenge Switzerland’s relationship with the European Union blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/02/04/the-return-of-immigration-quotas-could-severely-challenge- switzerlands-relationship-with-the-european-union/ 04/02/2014 On Sunday, Switzerland will hold a referendum on creating immigration quotas for all foreign nationals, including those from the European Union. Alexandre Afonso assesses the politics behind the proposal, which has been driven largely by the Swiss People’s Party. He writes that if the ‘yes’ campaign is successful, implementing immigration quotas would present a serious problem for Switzerland’s relationship with the EU. On 9 February, Swiss citizens will vote on a popular initiative “ against mass immigration” spearheaded by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. The initiative put to the vote proposes to introduce global immigration quotas applying to all foreign nationals entering Switzerland: asylum seekers, labour migrants and family members of established migrants included. At the moment, Switzerland does not limit immigration from EU countries by virtue of a bilateral agreement on free movement with the European Union. Switzerland is also a member of the Schengen area, and has adhered to the Dublin convention on asylum. By contrast, non- EU migration is severely limited. In this context, a “yes” vote on Sunday is believed to pose a number of serious problems for its economy and relationship with the European Union: immigrants represent about a quarter of the Swiss workforce, and the invalidation of the agreement on free movement could potentially make all the other agreements between Switzerland and the EU (notably on the taxation of savings) void.
    [Show full text]
  • Direct Democracy an Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008
    Direct Democracy An Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008 International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. The map presented in this publication does not imply on the part of the Institute any judgement on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement of such boundaries, nor does the placement or size of any country or territory reflect the political view of the Institute. The map is created for this publication in order to add clarity to the text. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: International IDEA SE -103 34 Stockholm Sweden International IDEA encourages dissemination of its work and will promptly respond to requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications. Cover design by: Helena Lunding Map design: Kristina Schollin-Borg Graphic design by: Bulls Graphics AB Printed by: Bulls Graphics AB ISBN: 978-91-85724-54-3 Contents 1. Introduction: the instruments of direct democracy 4 2. When the authorities call a referendum 5 Procedural aspects 9 Timing 10 The ballot text 11 The campaign: organization and regulation 11 Voting qualifications, mechanisms and rules 12 Conclusions 13 3. When citizens take the initiative: design and political considerations 14 Design aspects 15 Restrictions and procedures 16 Conclusions 18 4. Agenda initiatives: when citizens can get a proposal on the legislative agenda 19 Conclusions 21 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Randomocracy
    Randomocracy A Citizen’s Guide to Electoral Reform in British Columbia Why the B.C. Citizens Assembly recommends the single transferable-vote system Jack MacDonald An Ipsos-Reid poll taken in February 2005 revealed that half of British Columbians had never heard of the upcoming referendum on electoral reform to take place on May 17, 2005, in conjunction with the provincial election. Randomocracy Of the half who had heard of it—and the even smaller percentage who said they had a good understanding of the B.C. Citizens Assembly’s recommendation to change to a single transferable-vote system (STV)—more than 66% said they intend to vote yes to STV. Randomocracy describes the process and explains the thinking that led to the Citizens Assembly’s recommendation that the voting system in British Columbia should be changed from first-past-the-post to a single transferable-vote system. Jack MacDonald was one of the 161 members of the B.C. Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform. ISBN 0-9737829-0-0 NON-FICTION $8 CAN FCG Publications www.bcelectoralreform.ca RANDOMOCRACY A Citizen’s Guide to Electoral Reform in British Columbia Jack MacDonald FCG Publications Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Copyright © 2005 by Jack MacDonald All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in 2005 by FCG Publications FCG Publications 2010 Runnymede Ave Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8S 2V6 E-mail: [email protected] Includes bibliographical references.
    [Show full text]
  • The Initiative and Referendum Process
    7KH,QLWLDWLYHDQG5HIHUHQGXP3URFHVVLQ:DVKLQJWRQ States with Initiative and/or Referendum Process Map courtesy of the Initiative and Referendum Institute %\ 7KH/HDJXHRI:RPHQ9RWHUVRI:DVKLQJWRQ (GXFDWLRQ)XQG Initiative & Referendum Committee Janet Anderson Tanya Baumgart Cheryl Bleakney Lael Braymer Patricia Campbell Cherie Davidson Elizabeth Davis Phyllis Erickson Rosemary Hostetler Marilyn Knight, Secretary Lee Marchisio Jocelyn Marchisio, Chair Jo Morgan Peggy Saari Ruth Schroeder Editor: Marilyn Knight Typographer: Jane Shafer Reading Committee Elizabeth Davis Steve Lundin Sue Mozer Liz Pierini Alice Schroeder Published by The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund October 2002 League of Women Voters of Washington 4710 University Way NE, #214 Seattle, WA 98105-4428 206-622-8961 LWV/WA Initiative and Referendum Study - ii Fall 2002 The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund 'LUHFW'HPRFUDF\ 7KH,QLWLDWLYHDQG5HIHUHQGXP3URFHVVLQ:DVKLQJWRQ 7DEOHRI&RQWHQWV Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 The Initiative and Referendum in the United States .............................................................................1 Creating Initiatives and Referenda in Washington ...............................................................................4 Initiatives The Referendum Fiscal Impact Statement At the Local Level The Role of Money ..............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • PDF of Law As Amended to 14/12/2010
    REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON REFERENDUM 4 June 2002 No IX-929 (As last amended on 14 December 2010 — No XI-1229) Vilnius The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, relying upon the legally established, open, just, harmonious, civic society and principles of a law - based State and the Constitution: the provisions of Article 2 that “the State of Lithuania shall be created by the People. Sovereignty shall belong to the Nation”; the provision of Article 3 that “no one may limit or restrict the sovereignty of the Nation and make claims to the sovereign powers belonging to the entire Nation”; the provision of Article 4 that “the Nation shall execute its supreme sovereign power either directly or through its democratically elected representatives”; and the provision of Article 9 that “the most significant issues concerning the life of the State and the Nation shall be decided by referendum”, passes this Law. CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1. Purpose of the Law This Law shall establish the procedure of implementing the right of the citizens of Lithuania to a referendum, the type of referendum and initiation, announcement, organising and conducting thereof. 2. The citizens of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter - citizens) or the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter - Seimas) shall decide the importance of the proposed issue in the life of the State and the People in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and this Law. Article 2. General Principles of Referendum 1. Taking part in the referendum shall be free and based upon the democratic principles of the right of elections: universal, equal and direct suffrage and secret ballot.
    [Show full text]
  • § 163-182.2. Initial Counting of Official Ballots. (A) the Initial Counting Of
    § 163-182.2. Initial counting of official ballots. (a) The initial counting of official ballots shall be conducted according to the following principles: (1) Vote counting at the precinct shall occur immediately after the polls close and shall be continuous until completed. (2) Vote counting at the precinct shall be conducted with the participation of precinct officials of all political parties then present. Vote counting at the county board of elections shall be conducted in the presence or under the supervision of board members of all political parties then present. (3) Any member of the public wishing to witness the vote count at any level shall be allowed to do so. No witness shall interfere with the orderly counting of the official ballots. Witnesses shall not participate in the official counting of official ballots. (4) Provisional official ballots shall be counted by the county board of elections before the canvass. If the county board finds that an individual voting a provisional official ballot is not eligible to vote in one or more ballot items on the official ballot, the board shall not count the official ballot in those ballot items, but shall count the official ballot in any ballot items for which the individual is eligible to vote. Eligibility shall be determined by whether the voter is registered in the county as provided in G.S. 163-82.1 and whether the voter is qualified by residency to vote in the election district as provided in G.S. 163-55 and G.S. 163-57. If a voter was properly registered to vote in the election by the county board, no mistake of an election official in giving the voter a ballot or in failing to comply with G.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Musique: Multi-Hop Questions Via Single-Hop Question Composition
    MuSiQue: Multi-hop Questions via Single-hop Question Composition Harsh Trivediy Niranjan Balasubramaniany Tushar Khotz Ashish Sabharwalz y Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, U.S.A. {hjtrivedi,niranjan}@cs.stonybrook.edu z Allen Institute for AI, Seattle, U.S.A. {tushark,ashishs}@allenai.org Abstract What is the former name of What is the former name of the the country before it gained country where Atika Suri studied? independence on 27 Dec 1949 To build challenging multi-hop question an- Dutch East Indies where Atika Suri studied in? Dutch East Indies swering datasets, we propose a bottom-up semi-automatic process of constructing multi- Where did Atika Suri study? Where did Atika Suri study? A1: Trisakti University A1': Trisakti University hop question via composition of single-hop Q1 Q1' questions. Constructing multi-hop questions Which country is A1 in? Which country is A1' in? as composition of single-hop questions allows Q2 A2: Indonesia Q2' A2': Indonesia us to exercise greater control over the qual- What is former name of A2' before it ity of the resulting multi-hop questions. This What is former name of A2? gained independence on 27 Dec 1949? process allows building a dataset with (i) con- A3: Dutch East Indies Q3 Q3' A3': Dutch East Indies nected reasoning where each step needs the an- swer from a previous step; (ii) minimal train- Trisakti University located in Jakarta Indonesia... Stanford University located test leakage by eliminating even partial over- in USA ... Indonesia was known as Dutch East Indies before its independence on Dec 27, 1949 ...Myanmar was formerly known as Burma lap of reasoning steps; (iii) variable number of Context hops and composition structures; and (iv) con- Figure 1: Our proposed approach to generate multi-hop trasting unanswerable questions by modifying questions by composing single-hop questions.
    [Show full text]
  • Brexit: UK-Irish Relations
    HOUSE OF LORDS European Union Committee 6th Report of Session 2016–17 Brexit: UK-Irish relations Ordered to be printed 6 December 2016 and published 12 December 2016 Published by the Authority of the House of Lords HL Paper 76 The European Union Committee The European Union Committee is appointed each session “to scrutinise documents deposited in the House by a Minister, and other matters relating to the European Union”. In practice this means that the Select Committee, along with its Sub-Committees, scrutinises the UK Government’s policies and actions in respect of the EU; considers and seeks to influence the development of policies and draft laws proposed by the EU institutions; and more generally represents the House of Lords in its dealings with the EU institutions and other Member States. The six Sub-Committees are as follows: Energy and Environment Sub-Committee External Affairs Sub-Committee Financial Affairs Sub-Committee Home Affairs Sub-Committee Internal Market Sub-Committee Justice Sub-Committee Membership The Members of the European Union Select Committee are: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top Lord Jay of Ewelme Baroness Suttie Lord Boswell of Aynho (Chairman) Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws Lord Teverson Baroness Brown of Cambridge Earl of Kinnoull Lord Trees Baroness Browning Lord Liddle Baroness Verma Baroness Falkner of Margravine Baroness Prashar Lord Whitty Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint Lord Selkirk of Douglas Baroness Wilcox Further information Publications, press notices, details of membership, forthcoming meetings and other information is available at http://www.parliament.uk/hleu. General information about the House of Lords and its Committees is available at http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords.
    [Show full text]