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
If Quebec’s French-Canadian separatist movement and various referenda were ultimately quelled by Canada recognizing that culturally and linguistically unique province as a nation within Canada, then Alberta is headed for a similar result, at best.
—
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Further, the state has limited when schools could hold referendums and how the ballot quefstion could be written, Anderson said.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
What is your position on the use of referendums to address districts' financial challenges?
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The school district has been collecting money from referendums for the past seven years.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Cities that have called withdrawal elections have until mid-March to call off the May referendums.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
In response, states such as Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Wyoming enacted legislation that would expressly prohibit foreign funds from being spent on domestic ballot referendums.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Joel Hand, a lobbyist for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, said that generally small rural school districts have the hardest time passing referendums, when taxpayers are strained the most, and suburban school districts have the greatest success.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 26 Dec. 2025
Twice in the last 12 years, California voters rejected referendums seeking to abolish the death penalty.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 Jan. 2025
Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Further, the state has limited when schools could hold referendums and how the ballot quefstion could be written, Anderson said.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
What is your position on the use of referendums to address districts' financial challenges?
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The school district has been collecting money from referendums for the past seven years.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Cities that have called withdrawal elections have until mid-March to call off the May referendums.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
In response, states such as Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Wyoming enacted legislation that would expressly prohibit foreign funds from being spent on domestic ballot referendums.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Joel Hand, a lobbyist for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, said that generally small rural school districts have the hardest time passing referendums, when taxpayers are strained the most, and suburban school districts have the greatest success.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 26 Dec. 2025
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
-
This latest iteration, which builds on the 2024 version by adding a voter ID provision, must get 60 votes to pass.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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For more than five years, Republicans who question the results of the 2020 election demanded to inspect the original ballots from Fulton County to validate their suspicions of miscounts, missing votes and fraud.—
Mark Niesse for the AJC,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Really hard, apparently MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS 📄 Court documents unsealed Tuesday showed that much of the evidence behind the FBI’s seizure of Fulton County’s 2020 ballots came from election skeptics.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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In the March 3, 2026 election, there are competitive primaries for local, state and federal seats are on ballots.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referenda.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referenda. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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