Electronic referendum (or E-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 ...
in which
voting
Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
is aided by
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
means. E-referendum employs
information and communication technology
Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...
such as the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
(
I-voting) or
digital telephone
Telephony ( ) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of telecommunication services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is i ...
s, rather than a classical
ballot box system.
Traditionally, e-referendum is organised by governmental bodies but nowadays, there even exist private companies which can facilitate online referendums or other types of
e-voting
Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots.
Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone ''electronic voting machines'' ( ...
.
Advantages
As other types of
e-elections, an electronic referendum provides a more convenient option of casting a vote for citizens since it is less time-consuming and can be performed without attending an official voting place.
Generally, it has also been assumed to lead to a higher
voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...
and an increase in the citizens’ political engagement; however, this is not always the case as the example of Switzerland shows. E-referendum also renders the referendum voting more accessible to those living abroad and to disabled people.
See more in
e-elections.
Potential Issues
Similarly to other e-elections, electronic referendums require higher Internet and computer skills. Furthermore, when it comes to manipulation of personal data using ICT, trust in the governmental or other agencies facilitating the referendum voting is crucial.
See more in
e-elections.
E-referendum in the years
Taking into account the European context, it is possible to state that the adoption of e-referendum is little widespread and uncommon.
The Italian seaside town
Ladispoli
Ladispoli is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It lies about west of Rome, on the Mediterranean Sea.
History
Modern Ladispoli includes the site of the ancient ''Alsium'' at nearby Palo Laziale, the po ...
is a pioneer in this field: in 2004 it held three e-referendum. They concerned the protection of archaeological sites, participatory budgeting and the involvement of immigrants in political life. The adoption of the electronic mean was part of "E-poll": a European Union project dedicated to the experimentation of electronic voting. This pilot project took place also in other four Italian cities:
Avellino
Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...
,
Campobasso
Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sann ...
,
Specchia
Specchia is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Located 53 km south of the province's capital, Specchia is nestled atop the Serra Magnone, one of the highest points in lower Salento. The town wa ...
and
Cremona
Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...
. In the case of Ladispoli, the vote was open to all the 24.000 citizens and 2.500 immigrants regularly registered at the municipal office.
Lately, in 2005, e-referendum was also experimented in
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
, the Estonian capital city. In the same year, Spain and France experienced the e-referendum, adopting the remote
i-voting and special tools respectively.
However, Switzerland represents the only country that effectively used the electronic mean. Indeed many technological solutions have been used since 2000, so that, according to the Zurich E-voting System, even text messages were allowed.
E-referendum in practice
Switzerland: a successful case
Following the European experience with e-referendum, Switzerland can be cited as a successful example in the practice of e-referendum. By developing different electronic systems of voting such as Geneva E-voting System or the Zurich E-voting System, Switzerland had the opportunity to enable referendum via the internet on local or even at the federal levels.
Ireland: a failed trial basis
During the 2002 referendum on the Treaty of Nice, Ireland used electronic voting machines in seven constituencies as a trial basis. (See more in
Electronic voting in the Republic of Ireland)
In 2004, the government abandoned their plans to introduce a nationwide electronic system after a report from the Independent Commission on Electronic Voting and Counting raised concerns about the reliability of the machines and the integrity of the ballot. E-voting was finally scrapped in 2009 when further reports confirmed issues over the reliability of the process and the difficulty of storage of the voting machines because of high costs
Canada: a potential user of electronic referendum
In Canada, several initiatives in favour of electronic referendums are emerging. For instance, the founder of the Online Party of Canada, Michael Nicula, proposed a design of a “unique Interned-based referendum voting system”.
The Canadian Citizens Party also has propositions about referendum protocols. For instance, Canadians will be able to establish an account and post policy recommendations on a platform. Other individuals will be able to sign petitions linked to the recommendations through an electronic signature.
[{{Cite web, date=2012-11-29, title=Making policy by e-referendum, url=https://inroadsjournal.ca/making-policy-by-e-referendum/, access-date=2021-02-18, website=Inroads, language=en-US]
References
Electronic voting
Referendums