Voting from abroad: How to register for Swiss elections

Thomas Schneider, ASO

You can live abroad but still vote on Swiss matters. Switzerland grants voting rights to its citizens living abroad. If you want to exercise your voting rights, you must first get on the electoral register.

Close to 789,000 Swiss citizens live abroad. A large proportion of them – over 600,000 – are over 18 years of age, and therefore entitled under Swiss law to vote and stand for election. But by no means do all of them exercise the political rights. Only around 220,000 Swiss abroad are currently registered to vote.

Yet the procedure is relatively simple and, above all, only has to be carried out once: anyone entered in the register systematically receives the voting and election material they need by post, without having to ask for it.

The legal requirements are equally straightforward: to join an electoral register, you must be at least 18 years of age, not be under guardianship, be permanently domiciled abroad, have registered with the relevant Swiss representation and be entered in the electoral register of your country of domicile via the representation.

How to proceed

Taking part in votes and elections in Switzerland allows you to stay politically connected to your country of origin. As the Swiss Abroad are entered in the electoral register of their last municipality of residence in Switzerland, this link with their country of origin is strengthened. People who have never lived in Switzerland should refer to their Swiss municipality of origin. The application to exercise political rights External linkis an easy-to-understand form that can be downloaded online, filled in by hand and returned to the Swiss representation in the country of residence.

Numerous opportunities to participate in Swiss democracy

Swiss citizens living in Switzerland have a wide range of opportunities to take part in the political debate. Several times a year, they can make political decisions by voting at municipal, cantonal and national level. The rights of the Swiss Abroad are not as extensive, as they are only allowed to vote at national level. However, in addition to the right to vote and stand for election, they also have the right to support popular initiatives and national referendums, as well as the right to stand for election to the House of Representatives. Ten cantons also grant the Swiss Abroad the right to vote and stand for election at cantonal level. These are the cantons of Bern, Basel-Country, Fribourg, Jura, Geneva, Graubünden, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, Schwyz and Ticino.

Entry in an electoral register is permanent and does not have to be renewed. It is valid for the duration of the residence abroad. Swiss citizens living abroad can also be removed from the register. The request must be made in writing to the representation in the country of residence. The name in the register is also scrapped if the voting material cannot be delivered to the addressee three times in a row. However, it is possible to re-enter the electoral register after a deletion.

One hindrance remains

The Swiss Abroad, particularly those living in distant countries, frequently complain that they receive voting documents too late, which effectively prevents them from exercising their political rights. They continue to demand an electronic voting possibility (e-voting). The authorities are aware of the problem and have launched new e-voting trials. Other options, such as sending voting material by diplomatic courier, have also been tested and are currently being evaluated.

This article was first published in the Swiss ReviewExternal link.