New e-voting trials for the votes of June 2023

The Federal Council has granted the cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen and Thurgau the basic authorisations for the resumption of e-voting trials. At the same time, the Federal Chancellery is granting approval for the vote of 18 June 2023.

At its meeting on 3 March 2023, the Federal Council granted the cantons of Basel-Stadt, St Gallen and Thurgau basic licences for resuming trials with online voting (e-voting) in federal votes. The basic licences are valid for conducting online voting for a limited part of the electorate up to and including the vote on 18 May 2025. At the same time, the Federal Chancellery has granted its authorisation to hold the popular vote on 18 June 2023 online.

Online voting is to be available to Swiss voters abroad who are registered in any of the three cantons that have applied for a basic licence. For the first vote in June 2023, the cantons are asking for a total of around 65,000 voters to be permitted to take part in the trials – around 1.2% of all Swiss voters.

Source Federal Council / Federal Chancellery

The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad welcomes the Federal Council's decision to allow e-voting tests again. After four years of standstill and in the middle of an election year, this is a strong signal to the 218,600 Swiss Abroad who are entered in an electoral roll.