2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum

2018 Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum

21 March 2018
Are you for or against the Intelligence and Security Services Act 2017?
Results
Choice Votes % For 3,122,628 46.53% Against 3,317,496 49.44% Blank votes 270,288 4.03% Valid votes 6,710,412 99.65% Invalid votes 23,813 0.35% Total votes 6,734,225 100.00% Eligible to vote/turnout 13,064,932 51.54%
Results by municipality   For   Against

An advisory referendum on the Intelligence and Security Services Act 2017 (Dutch: Wet op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten 2017, abbreviated 'Wiv') was held in the Netherlands on 21 March 2018, alongside the municipal elections. It was the second referendum to be held under the Dutch Advisory Referendum Act after the 2016 Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum.

A plurality of voters (49.44%) voted against the law, resulting in its rejection. Voter turnout was 51.5%, above the 30% threshold for validation of the result.^[1] As with the previous referendum, the referendum created a no-show paradox, where the 46.5% of voters who turned out to vote for the bill instead causing its rejection, by helping the referendum meet the quota. If voters who cast for ballots had instead refused to show up, the turnout of 27.5% would have been insufficient for the result to be declared valid.

Although the referendum itself was non-binding, Prime Minister Mark Rutte had promised to take a potential "no" vote into account prior to the referendum,^[2] but