Voters were asked whether they ratified a proposed Statute of Autonomy of Galicia bill organizing the provinces of La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra into an autonomous community of Spain.
[7] Under Article 9 of the Organic Law 2/1980, of 18 January, on the regulation of the different forms of referendums, the ratification required the affirmative vote of at least a majority of those validly issued.
In the absence of such a majority in one or several provinces, those voting favourably could constitute themselves into an autonomous community of their own, provided that:[13] The electoral procedures of the referendum came regulated under Royal Decree-Law 20/1977, of 18 March, and its related legal provisions.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the provinces of La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra and in full enjoyment of their civil and political rights.
[31][32] The resulting text was considered by left-wing and nationalist parties as unambitious when compared to the Basque and Catalan projects concurrently underway,[33][34][35] and it was met with growing dissatisfaction from the various political groups over the limited extent of devolution as it was submitted to the Cortes Generales for its ratification,[36][37][38][39] with subsequent negotiations over the proposed text not reaching fruition.
[61][62] After the UCD accepted to reform the draft Statute to allow for devolution in equal terms to the Basque Country and Catalonia,[63][64] negotiations ensued with the PSOE, AP, PCE and PG,[65][66][67] leading to an agreement over the Statute's reform ahead of the scheduled referendum, the "Hostel Pact" (Spanish: Pacto del Hostal) of 26 September 1980.
[16] The Regional Government of Galicia invested 100 million Pta in an institutional campaign to encourage turnout in the referendum,[90][91][92] over fears from political parties that high abstention rates, coming as a consequence from disaffection with the chaotic Statute negotiations, could en up blurring the final result.
Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Galicia Bill?The most commented feat of the referendum result were the extremely high abstention rates in all four Galician provinces.
[99] It was reported that in several election wards in the city of Orense neither the full members nor the substitutes had shown up, with the provincial electoral commission commenting on the unusual nature of this circumstance.