What are referendums?

A referendum is like asking everyone in your class to vote on a choice for the whole class, and then using their answer to make a decision.

Imagine you and your friends are deciding what snack to have during recess. Instead of just picking one, you all get to say yes or no to each option. That’s a referendum, it's when people vote together to choose something important.

In a referendum, everyone who is eligible gets to cast their vote, like how your teacher lets everyone in class pick what game to play at the end of the day. If most people say yes to one snack, that’s what you get, just like if most kids choose soccer over tag.

Sometimes, a referendum is used for big decisions, like choosing which president to have or whether a town should build a new park. It's the same idea: everyone gets to say their piece, and the choice that wins becomes the decision, just like when your class votes on the best game to play!