Referendum campaigns

Referendum campaigns share many features with election campaigns: Participants seek to engage voters, persuade them to their side, and motivate them to vote. But they differ from election campaigns in important ways. Referendum decisions are binary, Yes or No. Even in two-party systems, voters are usually presented with an array of choices. A second distinction lies in the multiplicity of campaign actors: political parties, trade unions, business organizations, churches, single-issue groups, and individual voters. A diverse set of entities participate, and this creates an information environment that is quite different to elections. Referendum campaigns may be shaped by first-order effects when the decision being taken draws from fundamental values, but most referendums are ‘second order’, with many influences shaping the campaigns and the decision-making processes of voters. This entry will explore how the referendum topic shapes campaign dynamics. It will review participation in referendum campaigns, discuss major campaign activities and tactics, and provide a brief overview of the regulatory environment at referendum campaigns.