Italian voters reject lottery plan for the judicial council
Voters in Italy rejected a constitutional amendment on the High Council of the Judiciary. The proposal would have selected members of the council through sortition. The result was 46 percent in favor and 54 percent against. The vote is the 2026 Italian constitutional referendum.
A constitutional referendum asks citizens to accept or refuse a change to the basic law. Sortition means selection by lottery rather than by election or direct appointment. The High Council of the Judiciary is the body that oversees the career and discipline of judges and prosecutors in Italy. Changing its membership rules is a constitutional question because the council sits apart from the ordinary government.
The counted split was 46 percent yes and 54 percent no. That is a clear majority against the amendment without being an overwhelming landslide. The report gives the result in percentages and does not list turnout, the raw ballot total, or a regional map. The amendment as voted on was specifically about choosing council members by lot.
Judicial councils exist in several legal systems so that courts are not staffed solely by decisions of the cabinet or the legislature. Italy's council is part of that tradition of judicial self-government. A lottery would have replaced the existing method of filling seats with chance selection among those eligible. The referendum result leaves the prior method in place.
Rejection means the constitutional text does not change on this point. A later parliament could draft a different amendment, but that would be a new proposal and a new process. The March 23 vote decides only the sortition plan that was put to the public. It does not, by itself, describe any other justice reform.
Italians have declined to fill the High Council of the Judiciary by lottery. Fifty-four percent voted no and 46 percent voted yes. The council continues under the selection rules that already applied. The referendum closes this particular constitutional question.
