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Can Switzerland’s 1.9 million EU nationals vote in the European elections?

Foreign residents are not able to vote on a national level in Switzerland, but they could have a major say in the European parliamentary elections in June.

Published: 7 March 2024 12:15 CET

Can Switzerland's 1.9 million EU nationals vote in the European elections?

Switzerland-based Europeans will have a major say in the June elections. Photo: Antoine Schibler on Unsplash

In Switzerland, almost 1.9 million residents are eligible to vote in the European elections, to be held from June 6th to 9th.

This figure exceeds even the number of voters in some smaller EU member states (read more about this below).

The data, collected by the Keystone-ATS news agency, comes from the Federal Statistical Office, and includes EU citizens as well as dual (EU-Swiss) nationals of voting age.

Strength in numbers

Nearly 1.5 million voters living in Switzerland come from just five of the 27 EU states:

Italy (around 520,000)
Germany (around 375,000)
Portugal (around 245,000)
France (around 235,000)
Spain (around 115,000)

Not included here are citizens of other 22 member states who also live in Switzerland.

In total, there are more Switzerland-based EU citizens eligible to vote in June elections than in some smaller EU states like Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia.

How can EU citizens in Switzerland vote in June elections?

They are subject to different rules and dates, depending on their country of origin.

Germans, French and Portuguese, for instance, must register before the vote until a deadline – which also varies depending on the country – as indicated on the website dedicated to the European elections.

There are other ‘national’ differences as well.

People from Germany and Spain can vote by post, with the latter also having the option of voting at the embassy or consulate of their country.

The Portuguese and the French can also do so, with citizens of France being able to cast their votes by proxy.

Italian nationals living in Switzerland must, however, go back to their country.

They can also only use their right to vote in the municipality where they are registered in Italy.

Can Swiss citizens vote too?

Only if they are dual nationals, with their second passports being from a EU state.

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Could Geneva be first Swiss canton to grant foreign residents more voting rights?

Foreigners are not allowed to vote on national level anywhere in Switzerland.

Though there had been attempts in the past to change this rule, the latest such move was turned down by legislators in 2022.

However, five cantons are permitting foreign residents to cast their votes in local referendums and elections: Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura. Conditions vary from one canton to another, but in all cases a certain length of stay and a residence permit are required.

(In Zurich, a similar move was rejected in 2023).

Of the five cantons, only Neuchâtel and Jura authorise foreign residents to vote on cantonal level in addition to communal one; in the others, they can cast municipal ballots only.

Additionally, three other cantons have similar laws on their books, but they this legislation remains mostly inactive.

Basel-City, Graubünden, and Appenzell-Ausserrhoden have authorised their communes to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected for their non-Swiss residents.

However, only few of the communes in these cantons have actually introduced these measures.

Wait…Geneva’s foreigners already have the right to vote?

Yes, they have had this right since 2005, but only on municipal level.

However, this could change on June 9th, when Geneva residents will go to the polls to weigh in on an initiative launched by the trade unions and political left, calling for foreigners who have lived in the canton for at least eight years, to be able to vote and stand as candidates for political offices at the cantonal level.

This ‘upgrade’ to the cantonal voting rights is important, supporters argue, because it would enable foreigners to have more political impact.

“Municipal votes are quite rare, and the issues at stake are relatively limited,” the initiative committee said.

Therefore, “access to the cantonal vote will allow these same people to express their views on wider subjects that affect them on a daily basis.”

Is this measure likely to be accepted?

No reliable forecasts exist at this point.

And while foreigners constitute nearly 40 percent of Geneva’s population — the highest proportion in Switzerland — it will be up to Swiss citizens to decide on the outcome.

However, some members of the Geneva parliament are urging the ‘no’ vote on June 9th.

“No canton, no country, provides such generous rights to their foreigners,” the MPs from the centre parties pointed out in an interview with Tribune de Genève over the weekend.

(Neuchâtel and Jura allow voting, but not standing for election, at cantonal level).

“The only path for foreigners to obtain full political rights is through naturalisation,” the MPs added.

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