Switzerland resumes e-voting trials ahead of national votes in June

After being shut down in 2019 due to security concerns, Switzerland is again adopting e-voting. Swiss Post has introduced a trial version of its electronic voting platform that enables users to cast a dummy vote to familiarise voters with the procedure before the national elections in June. Swiss nationals from Basel City, St Gallen and Thurgau living abroad, as well as Basel City’s residents with disabilities, will be able to use the system to vote electronically in the national elections on 18 June.

The test system explains the various steps to be followed, including downloading a pseudo legitimation card with several codes. During the actual process, the cantons will send the card and the voting material by post.

Although digital methods are being developed, there are currently no plans to create an app dedicated to electronic voting. This will also not mean ‘the end of paper’, given that the law requires that voting materials always be physically accessible. Voters will receive a unique voting card and their paper voting materials before each vote, allowing them to cast an electronic ballot.

It is unclear whether Swiss citizens abroad registered in cantons Basel City, St Gallen and Thurgau can vote electronically in October’s federal elections. This will require additional approval from the federal government, and the corresponding applications are currently being made to the Federal Chancellery.