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: