referendum vs. ballot measure

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When I was about to translate a Wahl-O-Mat question into English, I stumbled upon a word that has no accurate equivalent in the English language.

Are ballot measures and referenda synonyms (or quasi-synonyms), or are they different things with regard to political science?

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

1. Yes (Unimportant) - I think this is saying to have EU referendums, which is fine with me.

I didn't actually know what was the apt translation for Bürgerentscheid.

I looked it up, the translated German wikipedia page said this:

"A referendum (Bürgerentscheid) is an instrument of direct democracy in Germany at the local level "

But isn't a referendum always an approval (or disapproval) of a bill that has already been passed by the parliament?