A referendum can be insane.

Remember the Children's Crusade? Desperate after many defeats to make the Middle East exclusively CHRISTIAN it was decided that God would certainly not let death, beheadings and torture come to children so they should undertake the greatest war ever.

From desperation and lies Trump came into he Presidency in a somewhat similar manner.

It is also argued that the electoral college is anything but democratic.
It is used today in the exact opposite manner it was first conceived to address.