2018 Antiguan constitutional referendum

2018 Antiguan constitutional referendum

6 November 2018
Do you approve the Constitution Amendment Bill 2018, which is a bill for an act to alter the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda to terminate Her Majesty in Council (also known as the Privy Council) as the final court of appeal for Antigua and Barbuda and to replace it with the Caribbean Court of Justice (also known as the CCJ)?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 8,509 47.96% No 9,234 52.04% Valid votes 17,743 99.78% Invalid or blank votes 39 0.22% Total votes 17,782 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 52,999 33.55%

A constitutional referendum was held in Antigua and Barbuda on 6 November 2018,^[1] the first referendum in the country's history.^[2] The proposed constitutional amendment, which ultimately failed to pass, would have made the Caribbean Court of Justice the final court of appeal, replacing the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.^[3] A quorum of 66.6 % of the valid votes in favour was required for the amendment to be approved.^[4]

Grenada also held a referendum on joining the CCJ on the same day; that vote also failed to pass.^[5][6]

Question

Voters were asked to respond YES or NO to the following question:^[7]

Do you approve of the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda (Amendment Bill 2018) which is a bill for an act to alter the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda to terminate Her Majesty in Council (also known as the Privy Council) as the final Court of Appeal for Antigua and Barbuda and to replace it with the Caribbean Court of Justice (also known as the CCJ)?

Results

The final vote tally gave totals of 8,509 for the amendment and 9,234 against. Turnout was 33.6% of the electorate.^[8]

Choice		Votes	%
For		8,509	47.96
Against		9,234	52.04
Total		17,743	100.00
Valid votes		17,743	99.78
Invalid/blank votes		39	0.22
Total votes		17,782	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		52,999	33.55
Source: ABEC

References

1. Residents urged to register ahead of planned referendum Antigua Observer, 14 August 2018
2. Still no date for referendum Antigua Observer, 15 March 2017
3. Antigua announces “non-stop” campaign ahead of CCJ referendum Jamaica Observer, 14 August 2018
4. Antigua and Barbuda, national Obligatory referendum [LOR] - Amending the Constitution Navigator to Direct Democracy
5. ANTIGUA – Antigua and Grenada to hold CCJ Referendum in November Caribbean News Services, 2 July 2018
6. "Grenada: Prime Minister Mitchell disappointed at results". St. Lucia News Online. 6 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
7. "What you need to know for Referendum Day". The Daily Observer. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
8. 2018 Referendum Results ABEC