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direct democracy

Direct democracy refers to procedures which enable citizens to decide questions directly through their vote rather than indirectly through the election of representatives or through other procedures.  The referendum is an example of direct democracy; voters, not elected politicians, decide whether a proposal is accepted or rejected.  Other examples include the recall (a procedure for forcing members of parliament to recontest their seats after a specified number of citizens petition for a new election) and the initiative (a procedures for requiring the legislature to consider proposals for legislation once the proposal has the required number of supporters).  All three of these modes of direct democracy are available in British Columbia (Recall and Initiative Act; Referendum Act).  A copy of these Acts can be found on the Queen’s Printer website:


Note that the web version of these Acts may not include the most recent amendments.

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