Election and Referendum are two terms that are often taken in one and the same sense. Strictly speaking, there is a difference between the two terms. Election is a formal decision-making process by which members of the population choose an individual to hold public office. A referendum, on the other hand, is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. Thus, there is a difference in the definitions of the two terms, namely, election and referendum.
Elections generally fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and the judiciary too, and for regional and local government as well. It is interesting to note that many business organizations, clubs, voluntary associations, and corporations too make use of the process of election to fill certain offices.
A referendum, on the other hand, may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official, or a specific government policy. In short, it can be said that a referendum is a form of direct democracy.
Key Takeaways
- Election is a formal decision-making process by which members of the population choose an individual to hold public office, while a referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal.
- Elections generally fill offices in the legislature, executive, judiciary, as well as regional and local government, while referendums are a form of direct democracy that may result in the adoption of a new constitution, an amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official, or a specific government policy.
- In the United States, the term referendum is often used to refer to a direct vote initiated by a legislature, while a vote originating in a petition of citizens is referred to as an initiative or a ballot measure, sometimes called a proposition too.
