Lääneranna municipality asked the electoral service whether they can conduct a referendum simultaneously with the 2029 elections. The question would be: "Do you want Lääneranna municipality to belong to Lääne county?" Currently, Lääneranna municipality belongs to Pärnu county.
The electoral service stated that the law allows holding a referendum concurrently with elections. However, elections and a referendum are two different things. Therefore, it must be ensured that people understand what voting is and what a referendum is. The organizers must also know what they are doing.
The electoral service also noted that if referendum organizers are also election organizers, they must perform both tasks well. The referendum must not interfere with elections. The electoral service advised the municipality to consider whether they can organize both events simultaneously.
The electoral service further stated that election systems and resources cannot be used for the referendum. The costs of the referendum cannot be combined with election expenses.
The question reached the municipal council through a public initiative. An initiative titled "Lääneranna municipality to Lääne county" was created on the Rahvaalgatus.ee platform. Its purpose is to find out whether people want to belong to Lääne county. The author of the initiative said that Lääneranna municipality has historical ties with Lääne county. They also mentioned that many residents identify as people of Lääne county.
The initiative collected 74 signatures, but only 41 of them were valid. At least 44 signatures were needed for the initiative to reach the council. Although slightly short of signatures, the council still discussed organizing the referendum. They decided that if a referendum is held, it could be conducted simultaneously with elections.
The municipality mayor said there is no hurry with the referendum. They also noted that some people want to merge with Lääne county, while others don't. Most residents think there are currently more important topics. However, the issue can be discussed during the election period.
The mayor added that the referendum would cost about €10,000. The referendum result is not binding for the council. But if the council decides to merge with Lääne county, the decision will be sent to the government.
Lääneranna municipality was formed in 2017 through the merger of four municipalities. Two of them were parts of Pärnu county, two belonged to Lääne county. After the merger, the municipality became part of Pärnu county. Lääneranna is one of Estonia's largest municipalities, comprising one town, one small town, and 150 villages.