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VOTING

Where in Switzerland can foreigners vote?

On Monday, Zurich parliament rejected communal voting rights for foreigners. But in some regions, they are allowed to participate in the political process.

Published: 23 September 2020 16:59 CEST
Updated: 24 May 2023 08:55 CEST
Where in Switzerland can foreigners vote?
Only few cantons and municipalities allow non-citizens to vote. Photo by AFP

Foreign nationals in the canton of Zurich will continue to have no voting rights at municipal level after the canton’s parliament narrowly turned down a proposal by city officials to grant these rights to local foreigners.

According to Federal Statistical Office (FSO), however, some cantons and communes give their resident foreigners the right to vote on local issues and to elect local politicians. 

“By having the right to vote and to be elected, foreigners can play an active but limited role in society,” FSO said.

It added that as Switzerland is a federal state, “there are considerable differences between cantons, and in some cases, between communes. As a result, the opportunities for political participation are strongly dependent on where a person lives.”

So in which regions can foreign nationals have a voice in local affairs?

The Swiss-French cantons and municipalities seem to be ahead of their German-speaking counterparts in regards to voting rights.

The cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura allow non-citizens to vote, elect officials, and stand for election at communal level. Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in most cases a certain length of stay and/or a residence permit are required.

In Vaud, for instance, where 30 percent of the population is foreign, immigrants can run for or sit on the communal or Town Council, as well as sign an initiative or a communal referendum.

However, in order to be eligible, they must be over 18 years of age (just like Swiss citizens), hold a residence permit for at least 10 years, and live in the canton for at least three years. 

All foreign nationals are directly entered in the electoral register once the requirements are met, and automatically receive the official material for votes and elections on a communal level. 

Geneva, which has the largest foreign population in Switzerland (45 percent), grants foreigners voting rights at communal level, but they can’t run for office. 

Basel, Graubünden, and Appenzell Ausserrhoden have authorised their communes to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect and the right to be elected. 

But few of the communes have actually introduced these measures.

In Graubünden, only 10 of the canton’s 208 municipalities are allowing foreigners to vote: Bever, Bonaduz, Calfreise, Cazis, Conters im Prättigau, Fideris, Lüen, Masein, Portein, and Schnaus.

Only three of Appenzell Ausserrhoden’s 20 municipalities — Wald, Speicher, and Trogen — granted voting rights to non-citizens.

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For members

HEALTH INSURANCE

What costs could Swiss residents face if health insurance votes don’t pass?

On June 9th, Swiss voters will weigh in on two proposals intended to curb the cost of the health insurance. What could happen if they are rejected?

Published: 21 May 2024 12:41 CEST
What costs could Swiss residents face if health insurance votes don't pass?

Both citizen-driven initiatives aim to cut the costs of the obligatory health insurance (KVG / LaMal), which have been climbing for years.

The first proposal calls for capping the insurance rates at 10 percent of income, with the excess be paid for by the federal and cantonal governments.

The second, on the same ballot, provides for a ‘brake’ on health costs, which should evolve according to the economy and wages.

This brake would work in the same way as the federal spending brake. Therefore, when healthcare costs exceed wages for a given year by 20 percent, the government must take action to bring the  costs down.

READ ALSO: How Switzerland’s two crucial health insurance referendums could impact you 

What could happen if the proposals fail to gain the majority of votes?

The Swiss Trade Union (USS) estimates that if the two initiatives are rejected by voters, a family of four would have to pay 27 percent more for their health insurance by the year 2030.

These calculations are based on official government figures, the USS said.

A premium for a single adult would also increase — from 430 to 540 francs a month on average — and would likely be even higher in certain cantons, because how much of your income is spent on health insurance is determined by your place of residence. 

For instance, based on figures from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and research carried out  by Ecoplan independent political and economic consultancy, a family with two young, pre-school-age children and a net income of 97,992 francs a year, will spend the biggest chunk of their income (16.5 percent) on health insurance in Basel-City.

Next are Neuchâtel (14.9 percent) and Bern (13.2 percent).

On the other hand, in Zurich, Switzerland’s (and the world’s) most expensive city, that proportion is 12.2 percent — still high, but lower than in a number of other cantons.

As a comparison, that rate in the canton of Graubünden is only 6 percent.

READ ALSO: In which Swiss cantons is most income spent on health insurance? 

But even despite the risk of much-higher premiums in the future, the Federal Council and the parliament are urging voters to reject both proposals, arguing they will not sustainably solve the soaring costs of healthcare.

Instead, they have concocted their own ‘counter-initiative’ to the two proposals that they want voters to approve.

They include having cantons increase the amount of financial help they pay toward health premiums for low-income people, and providing for more targeted measures, including specific cost control objectives for healthcare services. 

Are the two proposals more likely to be approved or turned down?

In April, GFS research institute found that 60 percent of respondents in its survey approved the initiative to cap premiums at 10 percent of income, while 36 percent were against it. The rest was undecided.

However in a more recent poll, carried out at the beginning of May by Sotomo institute, the ‘yes’ camp was smaller: 56 percent of voters were in favour of the initiative and 40 percent were against.

Here too, 4 percent were undecided.

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