E-voting Online voting and elections

The Federal Act on Political Rights (PRA) gives the cantons responsibility for conducting Swiss federal votes and elections within their territory and sets out the regulatory framework for the associated process. Trials with electronic voting are governed by the Federal Act (Art 8a PRA), the Ordinance on Political Rights (Art. 27a ff. PoRO) and the Federal Chancellery Ordinance on Electronic Voting.

At the end of 2020, the Federal Council decided to realign the trial operation for e-voting. The amended Ordinance on Political Rights (PoRO) and the Ordinance on Electronic Voting (OEV) came into force on 1 July 2022. The Federal Council has granted four cantons an initial licence for the e-voting trial operation. Swiss Post’s e-voting system will be used. In 2023, the Federal Council granted the four cantons of Basel-Stadt, St. Gallen, Graubünden and Thurgau a basic licence for the trial operation of e-voting for two years. At the end of June 2025, the Federal Council extended the basic licences for the successful e-voting trial operation in these four cantons by a further two years. They will apply until the vote on 6 June 2027.