The referendum will ask Italians to vote on a proposal to create a quicker path to citizenship by cutting the current 10-year residency requirement in half, down to five years.
For the vote to be valid, it requires a minimum turnout of more than 50 percent of Italians of voting age. If this 'quorum', or threshold, isn't met, the referendum won't count, whatever the result might be.
Polling stations will be open between 7am and 11pm on Sunday, June 8th and between 7am and 3pm on Monday, June 9th.
In order to vote in person, you will need your tessera elettorale, or electoral card; without this, you'll be turned away at the polling station.
This card is issued to Italian citizens when they turn 18, as well as to anyone who becomes a citizen after reaching the age of majority.
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Your tessera should be automatically sent to your home address, but if you haven't received it or if it's been lost or severely damaged, you should contact your local comune (town hall) to request one.
Your tessera will have your seggio elettorale (polling station) address and registration number printed on it; this will usually be a nearby school, sports centre, or other public building.
When you enter the polling station, you'll need to present both your tessera elettorale and a valid ID, such as an Italian carta d'identità or a passport.
You'll then have your name checked off a register and be given your ballot papers and a pencil and sent into a voting booth.
Casting your vote
There are actually five separate referendums being held on June 8th and 9th, four of which are unrelated to the question of citizenship.
READ ALSO: How will Italy’s referendum on easing citizenship rules work?
This means voters will receive five different ballot papers at the same time, each a different colour and numbered one to five.
You can see them all reproduced here on the interior ministry's website.
The ballot slip concerning the citizenship referendum is N.5, in yellow.
On the top, it says: "Cittadinanza italiana: Dimezzamento da 10 a 5 anni dei tempi di residenza legale in Italia dello straniero maggiorenne extracomunitario per la richiesta di concessione della cittadinanza italiana"
This translates as "Italian citizenship: Halving from 10 to 5 years the period of legal residence in Italy for non-EU citizens who have reached the age of majority to apply for Italian citizenship."
Information about the four other referendums, all of which relate in some way to workers' rights, can be found (in Italian) here.
In separate boxes at the bottom of each slip, you'll see a large SI and NO; you should mark the position you want to vote for with your pencil.
You'll then cast your vote by placing the completed slips in one of the ballot boxes outside the booth.
Voting by post
Italians who have registered to vote from abroad by post should receive their ballot papers to their foreign-registered address by Wednesday, May 21st.
The papers will come in an envelope (plico elettorale) containing instructions on how to return them to the relevant Italian consulate.
READ ALSO: How can Italians living abroad vote in the citizenship referendum?
Guidelines on how to send in your completed ballots might vary slightly between different countries, so it's important to read through all the instructions and follow them carefully.
If by Sunday, May 25th, you have still not received your plico, you’ll need to contact your Italian consulate to request a duplicate.
Once you have cast your vote, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the completed ballots are received by the relevant Italian consulate by 4pm local time on Thursday, June 5th at the latest.
Ballot papers received after the above deadline will not be accepted as consulates will officially start sending the ballots to Italy for counting (scrutinio).
For all the latest news, information and practical advice about Italian citizenship, see our citizenship section.
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