Voters and cantons in Switzerland positive about e-voting trial
Voters and administrators of three cantons in Switzerland satisfied with the e-voting trial held during the last national referendum.
For the first time since 2019, Swiss citizens abroad could vote online in a national referendum, leading to positive reviews of the e-voting trial.
Around 3,616 Swiss citizens registered in the cantons of Basel, St Gallen, and Thurgau but who were abroad during the vote, managed to cast their ballots electronically on 18 June. This was the first large-scale e-voting trial in Switzerland, where e-voting was previously halted due to security concerns but is still seen as a solution to the slow arrival of postal ballots for voters abroad.
The e-voting software, developed by the Swiss Post, was reviewed and approved for trial by the Federal Chancellery earlier in March. Authorities in the three cantons said the trial was successful since participation rates in the regions were higher than the national average rate for Swiss voters abroad as a whole. However, several members of parliament and a right-wing party raised objections at the Chancellery allowing for the trial and deemed the e-voting as unreliable.
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