Election type

E-voting for Swiss abroad: A joint project between the Confederation and the cantons (by Driza Maurer, Ardita et al, 2012)

“On October 23, 2011, e-voting was used for the first time in federal elections. Approximately 22,000 Swiss voters abroad, registered in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, St.Gallen, Grisons, and Aargau, were permitted to use this system. This was about 0.4% of a total of approximately 5,090,000 voters. About 53% of Swiss voters abroad, who were registered in the cantons entitled to take part in the trial, made use of this new voting method. The e-voting trials ran smoothly. The technical and logistical challenges were successfully mastered by the cantons involved. This first-ever use of e-voting in federal elections marked the beginning of the second phase in its implementation.”

Federal Act on Political Rights of 17 December 1976 (Status as of 1 November 2015)

Art. 5: Principles of voting

3. Persons who are eligible to vote may vote in person or by post [Amended in accordance with No. I of the Federal Act of 18 March 1994, in force since 15 Dec. 1994]. Voting in electronic voting pilot schemes is governed by Article 8a [Second sentence inserted by No. I of the Federal Act of 21 June 2002, in force since 1 Jan. 2003].

Art.8a: Electronic voting (Amended in accordance with No. I of the Federal Act of 18 March 1994, in force since 15 Dec. 1994)

1. The Federal Council may in consultation with interested cantons and communes permit electronic voting pilot schemes that are limited in their geographical scope, in the dates on which they are held, and in the subject matter to which they relate. [...]