Politics
Ljubljana Votes on Referendums That Would Reshape Services for 300,000
Two proposed referendums on the November municipal ballot could redirect how Ljubljana funds social care, housing support and neighbourhood welfare programs, here is what residents need to know.
How we reported this
Ljubljana residents will be asked this November to vote on two municipal ballot measures that, if passed, would alter the city's approach to funding social services and community welfare. The City Council of Ljubljana formally confirmed the referendum schedule on 1 July 2026, setting a 17 November polling date. The measures cover, respectively, a proposed increase to the municipal social protection levy and a restructuring of how the Mestna občina Ljubljana allocates discretionary grants to non-governmental organisations providing front-line community services. Both measures require a simple majority of valid votes cast to take effect.
The timing is not accidental. Ljubljana's social affairs directorate has reported growing pressure on the city's community services network since 2023, driven partly by post-pandemic demand for mental health support and partly by a steady rise in applications to the city's housing assistance programme, known locally as Stanovanjski sklad. According to the municipality's 2025 annual social report, caseworkers handled 14,200 individual referrals last year, an increase of roughly 18 percent over the 2022 figure. That caseload has stretched existing staffing and grant allocations, and city administrators say the current funding formula, set in 2019, no longer reflects actual demand.
What Each Measure Would Do for Daily Life in Ljubljana
The first measure, designated Referendum A on the official ballot, proposes raising the municipal social protection levy by 0.3 percentage points, applied to taxable income above the national threshold. The city estimates this would generate approximately 4.2 million euros annually, ring-fenced for social care. Policy analysts who have reviewed the proposal note that the funds are earmarked specifically for three service categories: home-care assistance for elderly and disabled residents, crisis accommodation for households facing eviction, and subsidised childcare places in city-run centres across districts including Bežigrad, Šiška and Vič. Residents in those districts currently face waiting lists of between six and fourteen weeks for subsidised childcare, according to the municipality's own admissions data published in April 2026.
The second measure, Referendum B, does not raise additional revenue. Instead it would change the grant allocation process for community organisations. Under the current system, the municipality distributes roughly 11 million euros per year to accredited NGOs and social enterprises through an annual tender process managed by the directorate. Referendum B would introduce a participatory budgeting element, allowing residents to vote online or in person on which service categories receive priority weighting in each grant round. Local advocates who work with migrant integration programmes and youth outreach groups say the change could give smaller, neighbourhood-based organisations more visibility in a process that has historically favoured larger established providers. Opponents of the measure argue the added layer of public voting could slow grant disbursements and create uncertainty for organisations that need to plan staffing months in advance.
Deadlines, Where to Vote and What Comes Next
Ljubljana residents who are not already registered on the municipal electoral roll have until 28 September 2026 to update their registration through the city's administrative unit offices or the e-Uprava online portal. The city plans to operate 47 polling stations across all urban and peri-urban districts on polling day, with extended hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Postal voting requests must be submitted by 10 November.
If both measures pass, the city administration says implementation would begin on 1 March 2027, aligning with the start of the municipal budget quarter. The 4.2 million euro projected yield from Referendum A is based on 2024 income data and would be subject to annual review by the city auditor. If only one measure passes, the municipality says it will proceed with that measure alone, without combining elements of both. If both fail, the existing 2019 funding formula and NGO grant process remain in place until the next scheduled council review in 2028. Residents can read the full text of both ballot measures at the Mestna občina Ljubljana offices on Mestni trg or download them from the municipality's public consultation page, which went live on 3 July 2026.