A popular referendum is a type of a referendum that provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on an existing statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance, or, in its minimal form, to simply oblige the executive or legislative bodies to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day.
A popular referendum would be the most democratic way to instigate a legitimate switch from representative to direct democracy. Yet currently only a few countries allow for their citizens to petition to request such referendum. In Europe, popular referendum is available only to the citizens of Albania, Denmark, Italy, Malta, Russia and Switzerland. In Latin America, popular referendum is available in Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela. In the United States, the constitution does not provide for popular referendum at the federal level.
If you live in a country where popular referendum is not yet available, the first step is to secure the right for the people to call such referendum. This can and should be achieved peacefully via petitions. Check if a petition for popular referendum already exists for your country and sign it. Otherwise login and start one now.
