Votes

The electorate decides on political issues up to four times a year. Votes are held on popular initiatives and on certain parliamentary decisions, in most cases having to do with constitutional or legislative amendments.

Changing the Constitution or putting a stop to a new law

Changing the Constitution
In Switzerland, every amendment to the Constitution must be put to a vote (mandatory referendum) – whether the proposed amendment was passed by Parliament or put forward by popular initiative. For a new constitutional article to come into force, the consent of a majority of the People (popular majority) and the cantons (majority of the cantons) is needed ( double majority). A popular vote is also ‘mandatory’ for Switzerland to join an organisation for collective security or a supranational community (e.g. the UN or the EU). Switzerland can only join such an organisation or community if a double majority is achieved.

Putting a stop to a new law
If Parliament passes a new law or approves an international treaty, those eligible to vote may request a referendum against it (optional referendum). If they are successful, a referendum is held in which the law or treaty in question is put to a vote. A majority of voters must approve the law or referendum for it to come into force (simple majority).

Information
- Explanatory pamphlets are sent by post to eligible voters
- ‘VoteInfo’ app
- www.admin.ch
- www.ch.ch/en/demokratie
- Explanatory videos

Instruments of direct democracy

Popular initiative
Anyone who has the right to vote in Switzerland can launch or sign a popular initiative to amend the Constitution. For a vote to be held on a popular initiative, 100,000 valid signatures must be collected within a period of 18 months.

Popular initiatives were introduced at federal level in 1891.
226 have been voted on since then. 24 have been accepted.

As of 31 December 2021, 10 initiatives were at the signature-gathering stage, 8 were pending before the Federal Council or Parliament, and 2 were ready to be put to a vote.

Optional referendum
To bring a decision made by Parliament to a vote (e.g. to stop a new law from passing), anyone who has the right to vote can launch an optional referendum. To do so, they must collect 50,000 valid signatures within 100 days. An optional referendum is also held upon request by eight cantons (‘referendum requested by the cantons’).

The optional referendum was introduced in 1874.
203 have been held since then; 84 of the proposals were rejected by voters.

As of 31 December 2021, the referendum period was running for 38 federal acts and decrees. Signatures were being gathered for a vote on 5 proposals.

Effects of initiatives and referendums
Even if most initiatives fail and only very few laws are stopped by a referendum, these two instruments can still have a major impact:

· They lead to public discussions on the topics they involve.
· They can influence legislation: groups that are likely to launch a referendum are taken into consideration in the drafting of new laws.
· The Federal Council and Parliament will sometimes make counter-proposals to initiatives, to address the initiative’s concerns in a different way.

2022 voting dates

Votes are scheduled to take place on the following Sundays in 2021:
13 February, 15 May, 25 September and 27 November

Votes held in 2021

7 March

Federal popular initiative: 'Yes to a ban on full facial coverings'

Yes 51.2%

Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services (E-ID Act)

No 64.4%

Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia

Yes 51.7%

13 June

Federal Popular Initiative: 'For clean drinking water and healthy food – No subsidies for using pesticides and prophylactic antibiotics'

No 60.7%

Federal Popular Initiative: 'For a Switzerland with no synthetic pesticides'

No 60.6 %

Federal Act on the Statutory Principles for Federal Council Ordinances on Combating the COVID-19 Epidemic (COVID-19 Act)

Yes 60.2%

Federal Act on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (CO₂ Act)

No 51.6%

Federal Act on Police Counterterrorism Measures

Yes 56.6%

26 September

Federal Popular Initiative: 'Reduce tax on salaries, tax capital fairly' (99% Initiative)

No 64.9%

Amendment to the Swiss Civil Code (Marriage for all)

Yes 64.1%

28 November

Federal Popular Initiative: 'For better nursing care'

Yes 61%

Federal popular initiative: ‘Appointing federal judges by random selection' (Justice Initiative)

No 68.1%

Amendment to the Federal Act on the Statutory Principles for Federal Council Ordinances on Combating the COVID-19 Epidemic (COVID-19 Act)

Yes 62%

YouTube videos on proposals submitted to the vote of the People: