A popular referendum on 21-22 June to amend the Italian electoral law failed due to weak voter turnout. Just 23 per cent of the Italian electorate turned out to vote, falling well short of the 50 per cent plus one vote required to meet the quorum. Voter turn out in Rome was even lower than the national average at 19 per cent.

There were three items on the ballot. The first two proposed awarding a majority premium in both houses of parliament to the party with the most votes, rather than to the most voted coalition as at present. The third item would have prevented candidates from running in more than one constituency. It is a common practice in Italy for parties to present their most visible candidates in multiple constituencies around the country in order to attract votes for lesser-known candidates.

The handling of the referendum came under widespread criticism both as a result of the confusing wording used to explain the items on the ballot and because of the government