Ballot Initiative Bill

A bill to establish a system of ballot initiatives.
Bill ID B089
Author(s) The Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Clack KCTL KOBC MR PC MP, 1st Baron of Milton Keynes
Amended by TBC
First reading 2021 August 2
Royal assent TBC
Commencement TBC
Affected legislation N/A

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1 Initiatives

  1. An initiative may be proposed for referendum by presenting to the Electoral Commission a petition that sets forth the text of a proposed act and is certified to have been signed by electors equal in number to 5 percent of all the votes cast at the last general election.
  2. The Electoral Commission shall then submit the measure to be voted upon by a referendum within 180 days of its submission.
  3. An initiative measure embracing more than one subject may not be submitted to the electors.

2 Repeal petitions

  1. An initiative may be proposed for referendum by presenting to the Electoral Commission a petition that sets forth an act to be repealed and is certified to have been signed by electors equal in number to 5 percent of all the votes cast at the last general election.
  2. The Electoral Commission shall then submit the measure to be voted upon by a referendum within 180 days of its submission.

3 Effectiveness

  1. An initiative act or repeal approved by a majority of votes cast thereon must take effect on or before the fifth day after the results of the referendum are officially certified, but the measure may provide that it becomes operative after its effective date. If a referendum petition is filed against a part of an act, the remainder of the act shall not be delayed from going into effect.
  2. Any act made official via referendum will apply to any political subdivision of the United Kingdom in which a majority of votes are for the act, but not to any political subdivision of the United Kingdom in which a majority of votes are against. This does not apply to acts which would be difficult to enforce.
  3. The Electoral Commission shall provide for the manner in which a petition shall be circulated, presented, and certified, and the manner in which a measure shall be submitted to the electors.

4 Local referendums

  1. Initiative powers are to be exercised by the electors of any local governmental area, with the requirement for certification being 10 percent of all the votes cast at the last local election for that governmental area.
  2. The council of any given local government area is to be responsible for the receipt of petitions and the holding of referendums.

5 Short title, commencement and extent

  1. This Act may be cited as the Ballot Initiative Act 2021.
  2. This Act comes into force upon royal assent.
  3. This Act extends to the entire United Kingdom.
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