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referendum
[C] Countable
pl: referendums, referenda
This term carries a heavy weight of officialdom and high-stakes decision making. It is strictly used in political and legal contexts to describe a mechanism of direct democracy, where the power shifts from representatives to the citizenry for a binary choice. While a poll or a survey gathers opinion, a referendum produces a mandate. It is often associated with intense public debate, national tension, and permanent constitutional changes, making it a word of gravity rather than casual inquiry.
Countable when referring to the specific voting events themselves, such as the multiple referendums held in Switzerland.