Referendum or popular consultation
1961 West Indies Federation membership referendum
A referendum on 19 September 1961 asked Jamaican voters whether the country should remain in the West Indies Federation; 54.11% voted against, leading to Jamaica's withdrawal and the Federation's dissolution the following year.
What happened
Jamaica had been a member of the West Indies Federation, formed in 1958 as a planned political union of Britain's Caribbean colonies. A referendum held on 19 September 1961 asked "Should Jamaica remain in the Federation of the West Indies?" Of 777,965 registered voters, 61.6% turned out; 256,261 votes (54.11%) favoured leaving and 217,319 (45.89%) favoured remaining. Jamaica withdrew from the Federation as a result, and the Federation was dissolved in 1962, opening the way to separate independence negotiations.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: A referendum held in Jamaica on 19 September 1961 asked "Should Jamaica remain in the Federation of the West Indies?" Of 777,965 registered voters, 61.6% turned out; 256,261 votes (54.11%) favoured leaving the Federation and 217,319 (45.89%) favoured remaining. Jamaica withdrew from the West Indies Federation as a result, and the Federation was dissolved in 1962.
- 1961 Jamaican Federation of the West Indies membership referendum (Wikipedia) link, Results section. Source record