The optional referendum is a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

which comes from a request by governmental authorities or the public. The best known types of optional referendums is the

popular initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

to request a law, and the popular (or abrogative) referendum to repeal a law. The collection of signatures from the public is normally necessary to organize an optional referendum, but some jurisdictions allow government agencies to request for a referendum also. It is a form of direct democracy. The optional referendum is in contrast to a

mandatory referendum A mandatory referendum, also known as an obligatory referendum, is a referendum that is legally required to be held under specific circumstances. This is in contrast to an optional referendum, which comes from either by public or legislative ...

in that it is a requested referendum, whereas the subject matter of a mandatory referendum is a legally required to be put to a referendum.

Types

There are a few major types of optional referendums: * Authorities plebiscite: A referendum that is voluntarily placed on the ballot by a governmental authority (usually a

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

) * Initiative referendum: A citizen-led effort to suggest and vote on a proposed law. *

Popular referendum A popular referendum (also known, depending on jurisdiction, as citizens' veto, people's veto, veto referendum, citizen referendum, abrogative referendum, rejective referendum, suspensive referendum or statute referendum)Maija SetäläReferendum ...

: A citizen-led effort to oppose or repeal a law. *

Recall referendum A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of off ...

: A citizen-led effort to remove an elected official before the end of their

term of office A term of office, electoral term, or parliamentary term is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject ...

. Depending on the area and position, a recall may be for a specific individual, such as an individual legislator, or more general such as an entire legislature.

Switzerland

Abstimmungszettel Personenfreizügigkeit 2009

In Switzerland the popular referendum is known as a facultative referendum (german: fakultatives Referendum; french: référendum facultatif, it, referendum facoltativo, rm, referendum facultativ) It allows citizens to oppose laws voted by the

federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

cantonal The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...

and/or

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

decrees by legislative and/or executive bodies. It also allows them to propose new laws in a

History

The popular referendum was first introduced in the cantons (e.g. in the Canton of Zurich since 1869). At federal level, the optional referendum was introduced by the Federal Constitution of 1874 (Article 74). The ratification of the Gotthard Treaty of 1909 triggered widespread protests and ultimately led to a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offi ...

being submitted. In the referendum of 1921, the optional referendum for state treaties that are valid for more than 15 years or for an indefinite period of time was then introduced. The number of signatures required from Swiss voters for a popular referendum was initially 30,000. Due to the massive increase in the number of voters due to population growth and the introduction of women's suffrage in 1971, the number was increased to 50,000 valid signatures in 1977. In Switzerland, a cantonal referendum was held for the first and only time in 2003. It related to changes in marriage, family and housing taxation (the so-called “tax package”). The contested bill was rejected in the referendum on May 16, 2004.

Federal level

On a federal level a

vote Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an Constituency, electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision making, decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election camp ...

will be organised on every law against which opponent collect 50,000 valid signatures during the period of 100 days after publication by the parliament. A referendum can also be requested by a minimum of eight cantons, the so-called cantonal referendum (not to be confused with a mandatory or optional referendum on a cantonal level).

Bibliography

*Vincent Golay and Mix et Remix, ''Swiss political institutions'', Éditions loisirs et pédagogie, 2008. .

References

External links

Referendums in Switzerland
{{Portal bar, Politics, Switzerland Direct democracy