As a citizen of non-EU member Switzerland, I didn’t get to vote in the recent EU elections. But in the last year, I’ve voted almost as much as I did as an eight-year resident of Washington, D.C.
In October, I took part in my first Swiss Federal Assembly elections, which take place every four years. A ballot and voting guide came in the mail. The guide listed a good 18 or 19 parties. There are seven major parties, and then additional smaller, alternative parties in the left, right, and left/green camps. I was totally overwhelmed. I could eliminate the blatantly racist party (seeing “Volk” in the party name is a good indicator), and the “Union Populaire,” with only one seat in National Council, seemed neither powerful nor that popular. I cannot say I voted with confidence, but I did vote.
The Swiss Parliament, or Federal Assembly, resembles the US Congress. It includes two houses: the National Council (Nationalrat), like the House of Representatives, and the Council of States, comparable to the Senate (Ständerat). The National Council has 200 seats, with larger cantons given more seats. The Council of States has 46 seats, representing the 26 cantons. That math does not give two representatives to each canton, because 20 of them get two representatives, and six cantons have one representative. Basel-Landschaft (my canton) and Basel-Stadt are two of the cantons with only one representative, but at least I live somewhere I now have representation.
In most cantons, National Council elections are based on a system of proportional representation, where the proportion of votes each party or party list gets determines the seats they receive. For the Council of States, simple majority rules, and the cantons can set additional rules for these elections. Nationally, Council of State elections must be held every four years and candidates must be 18 and Swiss. But the cantons can prohibit Swiss abroad from voting or can lower the eligible voting age for Council of State elections.
Even when there are no politicians to elect, there’s usually something to vote on. Since October, I’ve voted twice, and will vote two more times this year. We vote on amendments to the Constitution, and any citizen eligible to vote can also start a referendum against a new law passed by Parliament. Citizens can also start popular initiatives. I’ve voted on a cantonal amendment on recycling construction materials and national ones about healthcare costs, pension payments, and renewable energy.
In 1891, popular initiatives moved from cantons to the federal level. The first national initiative was started in 1892 and accepted in 1893. It was a ban on kosher butchering disguised as an animal rights initiative – no slaughtering animals without stunning. The next successful initiative was a ban on absinthe in 1908. As of December 2022, the Swiss voted on 228 initiatives, and only 25 have passed (I think the second number might be up to 27 now).
Weeks before a vote, the ballot and a booklet (in German) explaining initiatives and listing candidates come in the mail. The final day to vote is a Sunday, and ballots can be dropped into ballot or post boxes around the city until the Saturday before. I always procrastinate and fill out my ballot Saturday evening or Sunday morning. My polling station is a two-minute walk from our apartment. It’s open from 10 to noon on Sunday, a narrow window, but we did all have weeks to vote.
No one hands out “I voted” stickers, but the last time I dropped off my ballot in person, the volunteers had a box of hazelnut-chocolate bars. The chocolate was a farewell gift, not a voting gift; June 9 was the last time that location would serve as the local polling station. It will now be more than a two-minute walk from our apartment, so I’ll have to complete my next ballot by the morning of Saturday, September 22.
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Maybe if all polling stations here gave out bars of Swiss chocolate as an INCENTIVE, we'd have higher participation rates in the US! I assume there is a prime minister type role in Switzerland? Who comes from the party "in power", like England? Or is that a subject for another blog?
As a fellow dc voter I’d say I’m jealous but the constant votations here seem overwhelming