Date of publication: July 2018 -- Taken from title page.

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"The Independent Commission on Referendums is the first comprehensive review of the role and conduct of referendums in the UK since legislation governing referendums was first introduced in 2000. The Commission on Referendums was established in October 2017 by the Constitution Unit, UCL. Its twelve distinguished members were selected to represent a range of political opinions and expertise, with experience of all major UK referendums of recent years. Over nine months, the Commission has taken evidence, held public seminars in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London, and deliberated in depth at monthly meetings. It has been supported by detailed research conducted by the Constitution Unit. Drawing on evidence from past UK referendums as well as referendum practice in other democracies, this report makes detailed recommendations as to how future referendums in the UK could be improved. Its major recommendations stem from three core points: first, referendums have an important role to play within the democratic system, but how they interact with other parts of that system is crucial. They must be viewed as co-existing alongside, rather than replacing, representative institutions. They can be useful tools for promoting citizen participation in decision-making, but they are not the only, or necessarily the best, way of doing so. Second, referendums should be conducted in a way that is fair and effective. The rules should enable a level playing field between the competing alternatives. Those rules should also empower voters to find the information they want from sources they trust, so that voters feel confident in the decisions they reach. Third, the regulation of referendums must keep up with the changing nature of political campaigning, particularly campaigning through social media."--
Taken from back cover.