This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the link in this recordThis contribution addresses the input legitimacy of the British EU membership referendum of June
2016. It considers who was given a vote in the first place, and whether those given a vote could
make a reasonable choice in light of the campaign. More precisely, it assesses the following four
criteria: the franchise, the presence of clarity, the amount and quality of information, and the quality
of public debate, arguing that instances of direct democracy, such as referendums, require higher
standards of civic behaviour from both elected representatives and voters than those required of
representative democracy. The empirical analysis of these criteria shows that the referendum fell
short regarding the first two criteria whilst it could have done better as regards the last two. The
paper concludes by briefly discussing what can be learnt from this referendum for future
referendums
