A democracy is a form of government in which the people, either directly or indirectly, take part in governing. The word democracy originates from Greek, and means rule of the people.
The people who took part in the survey 61.6% of people said yes and 38.4% said no.
Out of all the people who can vote only 78% decided to take part.
When you become 18, you too will be allowed to decide what laws and who should govern the country.
Watch this behind the news clip that discusses the history of voting.
Behind The News – The History of Voting
Now what is the difference between a survey and referendum:
A survey gives everyone the chance to have their say on a topic, you might get asked to do a survey on your favorite ice cream flavor or which subject you like the most at school.
A Referendum is when the citizens of a country get to decide what laws they want to be passed in their country and under a democracy, they are who really decides what happens.
With the Vote on Same-Sex Marriage survey, everyone got to express their opinion but it was not legally binding – This means it is still not allowed. By sending out a survey and not a referendum nothing will change until it is passed into law through a different process. This can take days, weeks or even years to do so.
