The Swiss have launched an app that provides background information as well as the results of all votes nationwide – including some dating back to the 1800s.
On Monday, the federal and cantonal authorities unveiled VoteInfo, which helps users educate themselves about upcoming votes and check the results over the course of a vote day. It’s also possible to explore archives that go back as far as 1981 at the federal level, and even farther in the cases of some cantons, like Zurich (1831).
In addition, users get a reminder to go out and vote. Vice Chancellor André Simonazzi describes it as a “typical e-government project”. He also tweeted about it:
VoteInfo will publish interim results from noon on vote days and update them regularly until the final results are available. The cantons automatically transmit their results to the Federal Statistical OfficeExternal link, and the results are also continuously published as open government data at www.opendata.swissExternal link.
The Federal ChancelleryExternal link developed the app with the assistance of the statistics office and in close cooperation with canton Zurich. The latter already has experience with the “Züri stimmt” app, which is now being replaced by VoteInfo. The free new app is available for iOS and Android.
The app is available in German, French, Italian and Romansh. At the moment, the language of the app depends on the language of an individual smartphone. An upcoming release should allow users to choose the language, a spokesperson for the chancellery told swissinfo.ch on Tuesday.
Its development cost CHF150,000 ($153,000). In addition, there will be operating costs of around CHF100,000 a year.
What VoteInfo doesn’t do is offer information on candidates running for election. That’s the domain of smartvoteExternal link, which provides questionnaires to help people decide which candidates to vote for.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
Swiss study: Arabica cultivation areas could be halved by 2050
This content was published on
Around the world, the areas most suitable for growing the bean could even shrink by 60% if greenhouse gas emissions remain high.
This content was published on
The UN Human Rights Council approved the launch of this mechanism in Geneva on Friday, to be followed by an International Commission of Inquiry.
More than 100 wolves shot in Switzerland last year
This content was published on
Swiss hunters legally killed 101 wolves between February 1, 2024, and the end of January 2025. A further six died in accidents or from natural causes.
Swiss health office turns to Bluesky against backdrop of US censorship
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has joined the Bluesky social network, while US President Donald Trump works with X owner Elon Musk to censor content on official US websites.
Biotech company BioVersys is first Swiss IPO of 2025
This content was published on
The Basel-based biotech company BioVersys made the first initial public offering (IPO) of the year in Switzerland on Friday.
Much more spent on Swiss motorway vote campaigns than budgeted
This content was published on
Opponents and supporters of motorway expansion spent over CHF10 million ($11 million) on their campaigns, around a third more than announced in November.
Swiss researchers monitor animal populations with AI microphone
This content was published on
Researchers in Lausanne are using an intelligent microphone to make the animal world audible. The microphone automatically records animal sounds over large areas and analyses them using AI.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss abroad submit petition over e-voting
This content was published on
The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) has handed in a petition calling for electronic voting to be made available to all overseas Swiss by 2021.
Foreigner voting rights: broad variety of opinions
This content was published on
What do swissinfo.ch readers make of the idea of granting foreigners in Switzerland the right to take part in votes and elections?
This content was published on
A study confirms what might be expected: that postage-paid envelopes help boost the number of mail-in ballots in Swiss votes.
When it comes to voting, Swiss youth shun technology
This content was published on
Although they may be tied to technology for many other things, young voters look to their parents or teachers for political information before going online, says the latest political monitor study from the Swiss youth vote advocacy organisation EasyVote. Nor do young voters’ top concerns differ much from those of their older counterparts. Discussions about…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.