Status Quo Bias in Multi-Option Referendum Designs

Multi-option referendums expand the scope of choice for voters by offering more than one policy proposal. All else equal, this diminishes the winning chances of a status quo option, which now faces increased competition. Moreover, contrary to binary referendum practice, there is no guarantee of the status quo option being allocated a spot on the ballot. On the other hand, requirements for referendum results can also create a bias in favour of the status quo. In particular under voting methods for which a majority winner is not guaranteed or probable, the existence of majority requirements or quorums creates barriers for new policies to succeed. This paper analyses how status quo options are included– implicitly, explicitly or not at all – on ballots of multi-option referendums held across the world. It reviews voting rules and explores the mechanisms and design features of multi-option referendums that favour or obstruct the status quo, reflecting on the conservative or progressive nature of multi-option referendum in comparison to binary referendums. The focus is on status quo bias inherent to the applied design rather than bias in relation to voting behavior.