Switzerland to test electronic collection of signatures for referendums

The current system for collecting signatures, based on paper, has potential for modernisation, according to a report commissioned by parliament. Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

The Swiss government is preparing the ground to authorise limited electronic signature collection trials for initiatives and referendums. The Federal Council (executive body) has adopted a report that envisages progressing in stages.

The analysis, requested by parliament, outlines the opportunities and risks of electronic signature collection in terms of organisational, technical, legal and institutional plans. The government has instructed the Federal Chancellery to conduct a preliminary project with a view to carrying out limited practical tests of electronic signature collection, according to a press release.

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The current system for collecting signatures, based on paper, has potential for modernisation, says the report, which takes into account the recent cases of falsified signatures for initiatives at the federal level. In the context of the scandal, the Chancellery recently held a round table to ensure greater transparency in the collection of signatures.

New risks

However, “the digital model presents new risks and its reliability and the trust that the public is willing to place in it depend to a very large extent on its design,” the Federal Council noted. A special focus should be placed on the control mechanisms that could be put in place without compromising the secrecy of the vote, the report continues.

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Electronic voting also implies a partial transfer of competences compared to the current system. Responsibility would pass from the initiative committee to the operator of the collection platform, which would have to be entrusted to a public organisation. The municipalities will continue to keep voter registries and the collection of signatures on paper and in digital form will have to coexist.

The report concludes that it is impossible to determine the effects of the electronic collection of signatures on the use of civil rights without carrying out a practical experiment. The Federal Chancellery’s preliminary project will be done with the support of the cantons, municipalities, stakeholders from the political and civil society sectors and specialist groups.

Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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