Multiple Choice Test

This week’s rebellion by Conservative backbenchers may have been thwarted, but a referendum on withdrawal from the Union is still likely to take place this Parliament. Not the European Union (though if treaty renegotiation is back on the agenda this cannot be ruled out), but the Union of England and Scotland, which has lasted a full three centuries and counting. And just as the Tory Eurosceptics were proposing a three-option referendum, it appears that the SNP’s planned referendum in Scotland will not be a straight yes/no choice on independence but will instead offer voters a choice between independence, the status quo and some stronger version of devolution (dubbed “devo-max”). The precise shape of these constititional options remains to be determined – even the status quo is likely to have changed by the time of the poll, assuming the current Scotland Bill passes in some form. But another important question concerns the mechanics of a multiple choice referendum: how do you determine which constitutional model has the backing of the people? New Zealand offers an interesting model. Next month, a complex multi-option referendum on electoral reform takes place. On polling day, voters will be asked first whether they favour a switch [...]