Landmark Referendums

The votes where the people decided directly: Brexit and the near-miss in Quebec, the plebiscite that ended Pinochet, the ballot that abolished the Italian monarchy, Ireland's double rejection in 2024, Italy's judicial reform thrown out in 2026: a century of landmark referendums with results, turnout and what happened next.

72 referendums · closest result: Colombia 2016, No 50.21% · every column sorts

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Separation of judicial careers (Nordio reform)

Italy · 22–23 March 2026Voters threw out the government's judicial reform, which would have split judges from prosecutors and created a separate disciplinary court. A confirmatory referendum, so the No vote alone killed the law.

No 53.2%

turnout 55.69%

July National Chartercaveat

Bangladesh · 12 February 2026The first national vote after the 2024 uprising backed a caretaker government, a second chamber and term limits on the prime minister. The new parliament sits as a constituent assembly to enact them.

Yes 68.26%

turnout 60%

Restarting the Third Nuclear Power Plant

Taiwan · 23 August 2025Yes beat No by nearly three to one and still lost. Taiwan requires yes votes from a quarter of the whole electorate, and the count fell about 659,000 short of that bar.

Failed threshold 74.17%

turnout 29.53%

Five questions on dismissal law and citizenshipcaveat

Italy · 8–9 June 2025Between 65% and 88% of those who turned out voted Yes on every question, and none of it counted: Italy voids an abrogative referendum below 50% turnout, and this one reached about 30%.

Void (quorum) —

turnout 29.9%

EU accession in the constitutioncaveat

Moldova · 20 October 2024Carried by about 11,000 votes, and only once the diaspora count landed. The clause commits Moldova to European integration.

Yes 50.35%

turnout 50.69%

Thirty-ninth Amendment (Family)

Ireland · 8 March 2024A government-backed amendment to widen the constitutional definition of the family, rejected in every constituency.

No 67.69%

turnout 44.36%

Fortieth Amendment (Care)

Ireland · 8 March 2024The companion amendment on care in the home lost by an even wider margin, the third-heaviest No in the history of Irish referendums.

No 73.93%

turnout 44.36%

Thirteenth old-age pension payment

Switzerland · 3 March 2024A trade-union initiative adding a thirteenth monthly pension, carried against the government's advice with 14 and a half cantons. The same day, an initiative to raise the retirement age lost 74.75% to 25.25%.

Yes 58.25%

turnout 58.36%

Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Australia · 14 October 2023The constitutional amendment failed in every state.

No 60.06%

turnout 89.92%

Sovereignty over the Essequibocaveat

Venezuela · 3 December 2023Five questions asserting a claim to two-thirds of neighbouring Guyana, reported as near-unanimous approval on the eve of a border crisis.

Yes 98%

turnout 51.01%

Second draft constitution

Chile · 17 December 2023Chile rejected a second draft constitution in fifteen months, this one written by a conservative-majority council, and kept the 1980 text.

Against 55.76%

turnout 84.48%

Draft constitution

Chile · 4 September 2022The proposed text was rejected on compulsory turnout.

Reject 61.89%

turnout 85.81%

					What happened
2026	Italy	Separation of judicial careers (Nordio reform)22–23 March 2026	No 53.2%	55.69%	Voters threw out the government's judicial reform, which would have split judges from prosecutors and created a separate disciplinary court. A confirmatory referendum, so the No vote alone killed the law.
2026	Bangladesh	July National Chartercaveat12 February 2026	Yes 68.26%	60%	The first national vote after the 2024 uprising backed a caretaker government, a second chamber and term limits on the prime minister. The new parliament sits as a constituent assembly to enact them.
2025	Taiwan	Restarting the Third Nuclear Power Plant23 August 2025	Failed threshold 74.17%	29.53%	Yes beat No by nearly three to one and still lost. Taiwan requires yes votes from a quarter of the whole electorate, and the count fell about 659,000 short of that bar.
2025	Italy	Five questions on dismissal law and citizenshipcaveat8–9 June 2025	Void (quorum) —	29.9%	Between 65% and 88% of those who turned out voted Yes on every question, and none of it counted: Italy voids an abrogative referendum below 50% turnout, and this one reached about 30%.
2024	Moldova	EU accession in the constitutioncaveat20 October 2024	Yes 50.35%	50.69%	Carried by about 11,000 votes, and only once the diaspora count landed. The clause commits Moldova to European integration.
2024	Ireland	Thirty-ninth Amendment (Family)8 March 2024	No 67.69%	44.36%	A government-backed amendment to widen the constitutional definition of the family, rejected in every constituency.
2024	Ireland	Fortieth Amendment (Care)8 March 2024	No 73.93%	44.36%	The companion amendment on care in the home lost by an even wider margin, the third-heaviest No in the history of Irish referendums.
2024	Switzerland	Thirteenth old-age pension payment3 March 2024	Yes 58.25%	58.36%	A trade-union initiative adding a thirteenth monthly pension, carried against the government's advice with 14 and a half cantons. The same day, an initiative to raise the retirement age lost 74.75% to 25.25%.
2023	Australia	Indigenous Voice to Parliament14 October 2023	No 60.06%	89.92%	The constitutional amendment failed in every state.
2023	Venezuela	Sovereignty over the Essequibocaveat3 December 2023	Yes 98%	51.01%	Five questions asserting a claim to two-thirds of neighbouring Guyana, reported as near-unanimous approval on the eve of a border crisis.
2023	Chile	Second draft constitution17 December 2023	Against 55.76%	84.48%	Chile rejected a second draft constitution in fifteen months, this one written by a conservative-majority council, and kept the 1980 text.
2022	Chile	Draft constitution4 September 2022	Reject 61.89%	85.81%	The proposed text was rejected on compulsory turnout.
2020	New Zealand	End of Life Choice Act17 October 2020	Yes 65.1%	82.2%	Assisted dying became law in 2021; a cannabis referendum the same day failed 50.7–48.4.
2020	Chile	New constitution25 October 2020	Approve 78.28%	50.9%	A landslide to replace the Pinochet-era constitution.
2020	Russia	Constitutional amendmentscaveat1 July 2020	Yes 78.56%	67.97%	Reset Putin's term clock to allow rule to 2036.
2018	Ireland	Repeal the Eighth Amendment25 May 2018	Yes 66.4%	64.13%	Ended the constitutional abortion ban.
2017	Australia	Same-sex marriage postal surveycaveat7 Nov – 15 Dec 2017	Yes 61.6%	79.5%	A voluntary postal survey; Parliament legislated marriage equality within weeks.
2017	Turkey	Executive presidencycaveat16 April 2017	Yes 51.41%	85.43%	Replaced parliamentary government with the presidential system used since 2018.
2016	United Kingdom	EU membership (Brexit)23 June 2016	Leave 51.89%	72.21%	The UK voted to leave the European Union; it withdrew in January 2020.
2016	Netherlands	EU–Ukraine Association Agreement6 April 2016	No 61%	32.28%	An advisory No on low turnout; the agreement was later ratified with addenda.
2016	Italy	Constitutional reform4 December 2016	No 59.12%	65.47%	Renzi's reform was crushed; he resigned that night.
2016	Colombia	FARC peace deal2 October 2016	No 50.21%	37.44%	The deal was rejected by 54,000 votes, then revised and passed via Congress.
2016	Bolivia	Fourth term for Morales21 February 2016	No 51.3%	84.45%	Voters said no; courts later let him run anyway, and 2019 ended in crisis.
2016	Hungary	EU migrant quotas2 October 2016	No 98.4%	44.04%	An overwhelming No — invalidated by turnout below the 50% threshold.
2015	Ireland	Marriage equality22 May 2015	Yes 62.07%	60.52%	The first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.
2015	Greece	Bailout terms5 July 2015	No 61.31%	62.5%	Greeks rejected the creditors' terms; a harsher deal was signed within weeks.
2015	Poland	Single-member districts6 September 2015	Yes 78.75%	7.8%	The lowest turnout in modern European referendum history; legally void.
2014	Scotland	Scottish independence18 September 2014	No 55.3%	84.59%	Scotland stayed in the UK on a record modern turnout.
2014	Crimea (occupied)	'Join Russia'caveat16 March 2014	Announced 96.77 96.8%	83.1%	Held under Russian military occupation and recognised by almost no one.
2011	United Kingdom	Alternative Vote5 May 2011	No 67.9%	42.2%	First-past-the-post was retained for Westminster elections.
2011	New Zealand	Keep MMP26 November 2011	Yes 57.77%	74.21%	Voters kept proportional representation.
2011	South Sudan	Independence from Sudan9–15 January 2011	Yes 98.8%	97.6%	The world's newest state was born that July.
2008	Ireland	Lisbon Treaty (first vote)12 June 2008	No 53.4%	53.13%	Ireland rejected the EU treaty — then approved it 67.1% in 2009 after concessions.
2006	Montenegro	Independence from Serbia21 May 2006	Yes 55.5%	86.5%	Cleared the EU's 55% threshold by half a point.
2005	France	EU Constitution29 May 2005	No 54.68%	69.34%	France sank the constitutional treaty; the Netherlands followed three days later.
2005	Netherlands	EU Constitution1 June 2005	No 61.54%	63.3%	The Dutch No, after the French one, killed the treaty.
2003	Sweden	Adopt the euro14 September 2003	No 55.91%	82.6%	Sweden kept the krona.
2000	Denmark	Adopt the euro28 September 2000	No 53.2%	87.6%	Denmark kept the krone.
1999	Australia	Republic6 November 1999	No 54.87%	95.1%	The monarchy was retained; the proposed model split republicans.
1999	East Timor	Independence from Indonesia30 August 1999	Yes 78.5%	98.6%	Independence approved amid militia violence; statehood followed in 2002.
1998	Northern Ireland	Good Friday Agreement22 May 1998	Yes 71.1%	81.1%	Endorsed the peace agreement; the Republic approved it the same day with 94%.
1997	Scotland	Scottish devolution11 September 1997	Yes 74.29%	60.4%	Created the Scottish Parliament, first elected in 1999.
1995	Canada (Quebec)	Quebec sovereignty30 October 1995	No 50.58%	93.5%	Canada survived by 54,288 votes — the closest secession vote in a modern democracy.
1995	Ireland	Divorce24 November 1995	Yes 50.28%	62.15%	Divorce was legalised by nine thousand votes.
1994	Norway	EU membership28 November 1994	No 52.2%	89%	The second No; Norway remains outside the EU.
1993	New Zealand	Adopt MMP6 November 1993	Yes 53.86%	85.2%	Replaced first-past-the-post; the first MMP election followed in 1996.
1993	Brazil	Form of government21 April 1993	Republic 66.26%	—	Voters kept the republic and chose presidentialism over parliamentarism.
1993	Russia	Confidence in Yeltsin25 April 1993	Yes 58.7%	64.5%	Yeltsin won the referendum months before shelling the parliament.
1992	Canada	Charlottetown Accord26 October 1992	No 54.3%	71.8%	The constitutional package was rejected nationally and in Quebec.
1992	France	Maastricht Treaty20 September 1992	Yes 51.05%	69.69%	The 'petit oui' that let the euro project proceed.
1992	Denmark	Maastricht Treaty2 June 1992	No 50.7%	83.1%	Denmark's No forced the Edinburgh opt-outs; a second vote passed in 1993.
1992	Switzerland	Join the EEA6 December 1992	No 50.3%	78.7%	The narrowest of Nos set Switzerland's bilateral path with Europe.
1992	South Africa	End apartheid negotiationscaveat17 March 1992	Yes 68.73%	85.08%	White voters backed de Klerk's reforms, clearing the road to 1994.
1991	Soviet Union	Preserve the Union17 March 1991	Yes 77.85%	80.03%	Nine months later the USSR was gone — six republics boycotted the vote.
1991	Ukraine	Independence1 December 1991	Yes 92.3%	84.18%	Every region voted yes, including Crimea; the USSR dissolved within the month.
1988	Chile	Pinochet's continuation5 October 1988	No 55.99%	97.5%	The plebiscite that ended the dictatorship and led to the 1989 elections.
1986	Spain	Stay in NATO12 March 1986	Yes 56.85%	59.42%	González reversed his party's stance and won the vote.
1980	Canada (Quebec)	Quebec sovereignty-association20 May 1980	No 59.56%	85.61%	Quebec's first sovereignty vote failed decisively.
1980	Uruguay	Dictatorship's constitution30 November 1980	No 57.2%	86.8%	Uruguayans voted down their own military regime — the beginning of its end.
1979	Scotland	Scottish devolution1 March 1979	Yes 51.62%	63.6%	A narrow Yes failed the 40%-of-electorate rule; devolution waited 18 years.
1978	Spain	Constitution6 December 1978	Yes 91.8%	67.11%	Ratified the democratic constitution after Franco.
1975	United Kingdom	EC membership5 June 1975	Yes 67.23%	64.6%	Britain voted to stay in the European Community two years after joining.
1974	Italy	Repeal divorce law12 May 1974	No 59.26%	87.7%	Italians kept divorce, a landmark defeat for the Christian Democrats.
1974	Greece	Republic or monarchy8 December 1974	Republic 69.18%	75.6%	Abolished the monarchy after the junta fell.
1972	Norway	EC membership25 September 1972	No 53.5%	79.2%	Norway stayed out of Europe — and did it again in 1994.
1971	Switzerland	Women's suffrage7 February 1971	Yes 65.7%	57.7%	Swiss men finally granted women the federal vote.
1969	France	Senate and regional reform27 April 1969	No 52.41%	80.13%	De Gaulle staked his presidency on it and resigned the next day.
1962	France	Direct presidential election28 October 1962	Yes 62.25%	77.25%	Created the directly elected presidency France still uses.
1946	Italy	Republic or monarchy2 June 1946	Republic 54.27%	89.08%	Ended the House of Savoy; the vote that created the Italian Republic.
1944	Iceland	Republic and severance from Denmark20–23 May 1944	Yes 98.5%	98.4%	Iceland became a republic on 17 June 1944.
1942	Canada	Conscription plebiscite27 April 1942	Yes 64.5%	71.3%	The country said yes — but Quebec voted 72.9% No, a rift that shaped the war years.
1916	Australia	Conscription28 October 1916	No 51.61%	82.75%	Australians rejected WWI conscription — and again in 1917.