Kanisa George

In a democratic society, there is an expectation placed on those in governance to carry out the people's will in a reasonably practical manner that ensures that a balance is met between the desires of the electorate and what is in the best interest of the country. Unfortunately, what governments deem the best course of action sometimes goes inherently against the mould of public views and deviates so far from the usual course that citizens feel slighted and caught off guard by government's lack of consultation.

Where decisions concern policies that would directly impact the taxpayer's pocket, national spending and issues that affect human rights, there is a school of thought that suggests more than consultation might be needed. As the rightful equal owners and beneficiaries of a country's resources, citizens should have a say in decisions that could change or alter society's fabric.

In 2016 when the UK government found itself in a quandary over its decision to leave the European Union, a public vote or referendum was issued, giving the public the power to decide. Simply put, a referendum is a popular vote where the electorate votes on a specific political question or issue, usually of a contentious nature or one that has garnered differing views. This is known as direct democracy, and in contrast to votes cast at an election that is made in relation to parties or individual candidates and generally reflect voters' preferences over a range of different issues, referendums are usually based on matters of public policy or those that are of primary political importance such as whether to amend a country's constitution or impact human rights such as gay rights.

Typically, referendum questions usually have a "yes" or "no" answer but can have more than two possible answers. For example, one of the most popular referendums in recent times was the British exit referendum in the UK, which asked the public, 'Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?' The result, 51.9 per cent of the votes cast were in favour of leaving the EU, making it arguably one of the most controversial moves of our time and a political and international law nightmare. Yet the views of the people took supremacy.

The referendum model in the UK isn't unique, as many societies embrace this decision-making instrument and see referendums as an essential part of their democratic fibre. Importantly referendums allow the public to have a direct say on changes to the law without leaving all the power in the hands of the elected few.

Referendums can be held with an election, in a stand-alone poll, or by postal vote and has a plethora of regulating instruments, similar to an election, that ensures its validity. Over recent years the use of referendums has garnered widespread support. This could be in part to increasing voter apathy and disenchantment with traditional forms of democracy. When voters feel unheard by the elected powers in charge, direct democracy can help to re-en