Referendum

Ballot Basics
Amendments
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals
Statutes
Citizen initiatives Indirect initiative Legislative referrals
Advisory question
Automatic ballot referral
Bond issue
Combined
Commission referred
Recall
Veto referendum

A referendum has two distinct kinds of direct democratic votes that often get the designation of referendum: veto referendum and legislative referendum. Increasingly, the latter is being called a legislative referral.

Here are the definitions to the two:

• Veto referendum. When a state legislature passes a law, and citizens collect signatures to place that law on the general election ballot so that the voters of the state can decide whether to keep it or nullify it. In some states, this is known as a citizen referendum.

• Legislative referral. This is a ballot measure that is placed on the ballot because a state legislature votes to have it appear on the ballot. In other words, no citizen signatures are collected to place the measure on the ballot.

Other types of ballot measures

Automatic ballot referral Bond issue Commission-referred constitutional amendment Constitutional convention Initiated state statute Indirect initiated state statute

Indirect initiative Indirect initiative amendment Legislative referral Legislatively-referred state statute Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment Veto referendum

See also

• Forms of direct democracy in the American states