A petition is due to be launched today to make the holding of referendums mandatory when they have the support of at least ten per cent of the electorate.

It calls for the Referendum Act 2012 to be amended to allow for a petition signed by at least ten per cent of registered voters to automatically trigger a binding referendum.

According to a press release from organisers, the petition, launched today on change.org, is part of a broader drive to improve democratic participation and to improve the quality of life for all Bermudians.

In a supporting document written by campaign group Transform Bermuda, the authors state that the Westminster System of government is not well suited to Bermuda because of its adversarial nature, first past the post system of elections and the waste of talent caused by one party forming a Government and the other forming the Opposition.

The wider use of referendums, using Switzerland’s model, would increase participation and involvement while forcing politicians to work together.

Transform Bermuda founder Ian Macdonald-Smith said: “All that is required is for a well drafted private members’ bill to be introduced by two MPs for the Amendment to the Referendum Act 2012.

“By enacting this legislation, Bermuda has the potential to be a model on how to institute sensible reforms which bring voters back into the political process without the lurches to extremism which we are seeing in democracies through the world.

“These swings are being caused by people who are affected by economic dislocation at the same time that they perceived political elites as being out of touch with their concerns. By giving people a voice and a stake in the decision making process, Bermuda can reverse this trend.”

In addition, the Transform Bermuda document, which is designed to be a starting point for debate, calls for adoption of the Voters Bill of Rights proposed by the Voters Rights Association in 2012. Measures include fixed term elections, the right to recall elected parliamentarians, a fair absentee ballot voting system, electronic voting and proportional representation on Government boards.

The document also details reforms to education and the environment, including a plan for introducing endemic plants and trees on a wide scale.

The petition can be found at www.change.org.