Juggling codes and documents: how complicated is Swiss e-voting?

Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

A few clicks and it's done: that's how one might imagine e-voting. But it is not that simple, as a journalist finds out.

In some Swiss cantons and municipalities it is already possible to vote online. The number of eligible municipalities is increasing with trials currently underway in the cantons of Basel-City, St. Gallen, Thurgau and Graubünden. Marc Hanimann, a journalist with SRF, has registered for e-voting in his municipality and answers the most important questions here.

Can all eligible voters vote electronically?

Experiments are under way in several cantons. The cantons themselves decide whether they want to test e-voting. In addition, the canton also has to decide which voters and electors to authorise. A maximum of 30% of voters can participate in an e-voting trial, compared to 10% in Switzerland as a whole. According to the federal government, these quotas are currently far from being fully utilised. Many Swiss citizens living abroad use e-voting.

How complicated is it to register?

It is not something to be left to the last minute. You have to register eight weeks in advance. You need your pension number and date of birth, for example, but not your e-mail address. The advantage: even those who do not have an e-mail address can vote electronically. The disadvantage: confirmation of registration arrives a few days later by post. In comparison, standard voting documents arrive in the letterbox four weeks before the vote.

How does the e-voting procedure work?

In addition to the ‘normal’ ballot papers, an explanatory card is enclosed; there are several codes on the ballot paper. There is therefore a continuous switching between paper and screen. A 24-digit initialisation code consisting of numbers and letters must be entered. Then you can tick the boxes for ‘yes’ or ‘no’. On the back of the ballot paper there are check codes for verification purposes. If these verification codes match the ones displayed on the screen, a nine-digit confirmation code must be entered. There is then another verification code for casting your vote.

What has been your experience with the registration procedures for e-voting?

The terms ‘fast’ and ‘digital’ do not describe e-voting very well. Authentication procedures are already known and widespread thanks to e-banking, for example. However, the continuous transition from paper to screen takes time. The temptation to continue voting by post is great because the standard voting documents are also sent.

Why so many codes and so much paper?

In the canton of St. Gallen, 18 out of 75 municipalities are part of the e-voting pilot project, to which about 10-15% of the electorate is registered.

Cantonal State Secretary Benedikt van Spyk sees many positive aspects so far. The paper delivery is considered by the canton as a very secure element. “That is why we have retained it for e-voting, at least for the outward journey”.

Documents will continue to be sent by post, even abroad. According to van Spyk, about 65% of Swiss citizens living abroad will vote electronically.

However, he does not believe paper will disappear anytime soon: “Before we can replace paper mailing, we have to provide a truly secure digital delivery channel. We don’t have that yet”.

The many codes are also essential, according to Van Spyk: “Security is the top priority when it comes to e-voting. This entails restrictions in terms of user-friendliness. The delivery of codes by post is also a security measure. Of course, this is an additional expense for the citizenry that currently limits the attractiveness of e-voting”.

Translated automatically from Italian by DeepL/ac