Based on extensive surveys conducted during and after the campaign, The Challenge of Direct Democracy is a comprehensive investigation of voter opinion, intention, perception, and behaviour in a referendum. The authors investigate voters' responses to arguments for and against the Accord, examine how well informed voters were, and explore a variety of explanations to account for the negative result.

Richard Johnston is Canada Research Chair in Public Opinion, Elections, and Representation at the University of British Columbia.

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Andr� Blais is Professor of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Electoral Studies at the Universit� de Montr�al.

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"A comprehensive account of the response of voters to the Charlottetown Accord in the context of the referendum, The Challenge of Direct Democracy is a must read for all scholars of Canadian politics, as well as those interested in democratic theory, public opinion formation, constitutional politics and referendums." Fred Fletcher, Department of Political Science and Environmental Studies, York University. "The Challenge of Direct Democracy provides insight into both the Canadian referendum experience and more general, theoretical concerns with direct democracy. The analysis is sound and insightful, and the writing is polished and often powerful." Roger Gibbins, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary.