referendum
n. countablen. a special vote where everyone in a country or area can decide on a single important issue. Instead of choosing a person, you vote 'yes' or 'no' on a specific plan or law.
n. a direct vote by the electorate on a specific proposal, law, or political issue. Often used to decide constitutional changes or matters of national sovereignty.
The government decided to hold a referendum on the new law.
After months of public debate, the citizens went to the polls for a national referendum on whether to join the trade union.
Constitutional experts argue that while a referendum provides a clear mandate, it can also simplify complex geopolitical issues into binary choices that ignore necessary nuance.
From Latin referendum (“that which ought to be announced”), from refero (“to announce”).
The plural can be either 'referendums' or 'referenda', though the former is more common in modern English.