Referendums by Country 2025

A referendum is when voters are asked to vote on a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question by a direct vote on a proposal, law, or issue.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) provides independent electoral services for the Australian electorate.

The AEC held a referendum on the Australian Indigenous Voice on October 14, 2023, which asked voters if they approved a change in the Australian Constitution.

The referendum asked Australian voters to vote on a proposal that included giving greater political rights to Indigenous people and recognizing Indigenous people in the Constitution. The referendum included the creation of an advocacy committee to offer advice on policy regarding Indigenous people.

All six Australian states voted ‘no’ on the referendum.

The most well-known referendum in Ireland is the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, two referendums held in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Voters voted ‘yes’ on the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, which approved the British-Irish Agreement and allowed an amendment to Ireland’s Constitution.

In Switzerland, referendums allow voters to vote on policy. The process in Switzerland for proposing a referendum requires 100,000 signatures, which puts the power in the citizens’ hands.

On June 1, 2022, Denmark held a referendum asking voters if they wanted to abolish the opt-out from the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). Denmark’s voters supported abolishing the opt-out.

In the United States, twenty-three states and the Virgin Islands allow citizens to vote on referendums, including repealing existing legislation and suggesting new legislation.

US states that allow voters to vote on referendums include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota,

Delaware is the only state that doesn’t require a popular vote to make changes to the Constitution.