variants
or referendums
as in votes
an event in which the electorate votes for or against a law that deals with a specific issue
They are having a referendum so the public can decide the controversial issue.
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Recent Examples of referenda
The commission vote blocks the bond from landing on the August ballot, since Thursday was the final commission meeting before the deadline to send referendums to the August primary ballot.
—
Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
In both states, voters passed referendums to allow the new maps.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 11 May 2026
According to Virginia’s constitution, the state legislature must pass referendums twice, with an election in between.
—Connor Greene, Time, 8 May 2026
But the move prompted blue states to respond by passing their own redistricting referendums, with California passing a map in November that could result in Democrats picking up five seats.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2026
Ballot initiatives and referendums are increasingly seen as one of the last major vehicles to change state laws and congressional maps, often as a method to work around state lawmakers.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2026
But the plan was scuttled when two 1998 referendums, one for the money and one for a rate increase, were narrowly voted down.
—Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Wisconsin voters headed to the polls on April 7 to elect a new state Supreme Court justice and make their choices for local offices and several school funding referendums.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Twice in the last 12 years, California voters rejected referendums seeking to abolish the death penalty.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 Jan. 2025
Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
In both states, voters passed referendums to allow the new maps.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 11 May 2026
According to Virginia’s constitution, the state legislature must pass referendums twice, with an election in between.
—Connor Greene, Time, 8 May 2026
But the move prompted blue states to respond by passing their own redistricting referendums, with California passing a map in November that could result in Democrats picking up five seats.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2026
Ballot initiatives and referendums are increasingly seen as one of the last major vehicles to change state laws and congressional maps, often as a method to work around state lawmakers.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2026
But the plan was scuttled when two 1998 referendums, one for the money and one for a rate increase, were narrowly voted down.
—Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Wisconsin voters headed to the polls on April 7 to elect a new state Supreme Court justice and make their choices for local offices and several school funding referendums.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Twice in the last 12 years, California voters rejected referendums seeking to abolish the death penalty.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referenda
Noun
-
Daniels earned nine first-place votes and 32 second-place votes and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
23 May 2026
-
After the meeting, in a sign of discord among the caucus, GOP leadership dropped plans to have a series of votes on a package that would fund immigration enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Murphy questioned the Pratt campaign having so much money on hand, as voters have already begun sending ballots in by mail.—
Connor Sheets,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
Early voting in the June 2 California primary shows Republicans have returned more than 905,000 ballots ahead of the election — a massive surge compared with the last governor’s race during the 2022 midterms.—
Brad Jones,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referenda.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referenda. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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