Since referendums can be supported digitally, there have been considerably more. At the same time, the pass rate has fallen, the House of Representatives announced in a press release on Tuesday. Since 2018, there have been a total of 67 referendums, including “Don’t Smoke” from the Medical Association and Cancer Aid and one against corruption.
For an issue to be considered in the National Council, at least 100,000 signatures or the support of one-sixth of voters in each of the three states are required. Since 2018 it has been possible to support referendums online with ID-Austria. The majority (54 percent) now also use this variant. Alternatively, supporters can come in person to the registration office in their own community.
Seven out of ten successful
From 1964 to 2017 there were 39 referendums, and in the last seven years alone there were 67. About seven in ten (69 percent) were successful, meaning they had to be discussed in the National Council. In the past, nine out of ten referendums were successful.
The debate in the National Council is also less intense today. Before 2018, the requests were often discussed several times in a committee; nowadays the majority is discussed exactly once. There were only draft resolutions on six of the 46 referendums.
As mentioned, you can also make money with it. For each successful referendum, 13,686 euros is possible to cover the costs. According to parliament, individual groups regularly submit referendums on the same or similar topics. There are always two with opposing views, such as ‘Smoke – Yes’ and ‘Smoke – No’. Referenda are submitted by trade unions, parties or social organizations such as NGOs, among others.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
