Turning votes into territories: boundary referendums in theory and practice

The involvement of electors in the determination of a boundary separating states in conflict was introduced to international relations after the First World War in order to resolve disagreements concerning Germany, Austria, Denmark, Poland, and Yugoslavia. No such popular consultations took place after the Second World War when European borders were shifted by the rulers of the time, borders that became frozen during the Cold War. Now that that War is over, one can assume a return to the democratic evolution begun in Avignon 1791 and expanded in Schleswig 1920. With that expectation in mind, the article considers ways of improving the procedures that have been used thus far to partition territories by means of popular referendums. To help consider various solutions and select appropriate procedures, special attention is given to Schleswig 1920, and Jura 1974.